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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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W,  G.  E.  CUNNYNGHAM,  D.D. 


THE  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 
AND  HIS  WORK. 


BY  W.  G.  E.  CUNNYNGHAM, 

Nine  Tears  a  Alissiotiary  in  China. 


WITH  AN   INTRODUCTION   BY 
WALTER  R.  LAMBUTH, 

Senior  Missionary  Secretary,  M.  E.  Churcli,  South. 


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Nashville,  Tenn.  : 

Publishing  House  of  the  M.  E).  Church,  South. 

Barbee  &  Smith,  Agents. 

1S99. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1899, 

By  the  Book  Agents  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO  MY  ESTEEMED  FRIEND  AND  BROTHER,  THE 

FORTY  YEARS  MISSIONARY  TO  THE  CHINESE, 

THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED  BY 

The  Author. 
(3) 


PREFATORY. 

The  following  pages  have  been  prepared  with  the 
hope  that  the  suggestions  they  contain  may  be  help- 
ful to  some  Christian  j^oung  men  and  young  women 
who  are  preparing  themselves  for  foreign  mission 
work.  The  reader  will  observe  that  the  treatment  of 
the  subject  is  not  denominational,  but  general,  em- 
bracing such  matters  as  are  common  to  all  Protes- 
tant missionary  operations.  The  treatise  is  elementa- 
ry and  preparatory  in  character,  and  intended  not 
so  much  for  those  already  at  work  as  for  those  in 
preparation  for  the  foreign  field.  The  suggestions  I 
have  ventured  to  make  are  the  result  of  nine  j^ears' 
experience  as  a  missionary  in  China,  and  twenty-nine 
years'  connection  with  a  mission  board  at  home. 

Will  the  Christian  reader  please  ask  God's  blessing 
upon  this  little  book?  W.  G.  E.  C. 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  May  1, 1899. 

(5) 


INTRODUCTION. 

BY  KEV.  WALTER  R.  LAMBUTH, 
Senior  Missionary  Secretary  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

The  couversiou  of  the  world  is  a  conquest  which 
makes  the  highest  claims  upon  faith  and  demands  the 
noblest  qualities  of  leadership.  The  author  of  this  book 
was  for  years  a  foreign  missionary,  a  superintendent  of 
missionary  work,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Missions, 
and  the  leader  of  the  great  Sunday  school  movement 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  In  devo- 
tion, in  faith,  in  ripe  personal  experience,  and  in  his 
unstinted  service  to  the  cause  of  missions  he  is  emi- 
nently qualified  to  counsel  those  who  are  in  prepara- 
tion for  the  foreign  field. 

In  a  survey  of  the  religious  condition  of  the  world 
we  are  confronted  by  heathenism  massed,  compacted, 
intrenched.  It  is  only  by  sounding  its  depths  that  we 
can  fully  realize  the  necessity  for  the  gospel.  Among 
a  heathen  people  we  find  sin  organized,  that  it  prop 
agates  itself,  is  aggressive,  and  must  be  overcome  by 
the  truth  incarnated  in  some  man  or  woman.  It  is 
not  the  going  of  the  missionary  with  the  salt  of  Chris- 
tianity in  his  hand  or  even  in  his  heart,  he  is  himself 

(7) 


8  The  Foueign  Missionary. 

that  salt.  His  life  which  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  is 
the  savor  of  life  unto  life,  as  he  walks  in  the  midst 
of  moral  decomposition  and  spiritual  death.  Once 
realize  that  the  heathen  are  Christless,  and  the  sense 
of  their  utter  need  is  forced  upon  us.  This  sense  can 
be  exceeded  only  bj'  our  obligation  to  carry  the  Christ 
and  his  evangel  to  those  who  are  lost. 

In  speaking  of  the  heathen  world  and  its  ten  hun- 
dred millions  of  unsaved  souls,  Bishop  Thoburn 
writes:  "  It  is  not  that  they  have  never  heard  of  His 
name,  that  they  have  never  felt  the  influence  of  what 
we  call  Christianity,  that  they  have  never  been 
brought  into  contact  with  Christian  institutions  or 
Christian  civilization;  but  that  Christ  is  not  jDcrson- 
ally  known  to  them,  is  not  among  them  in  the  sense 
in  which  he  promised  to  be  with  his  people  for  ever- 
more, and  that  they  are  deprived  of  all  the  unspeak- 
able privileges  which  those  who  enjoy  jDcrsonal  fel- 
lowship with  him  so  freely  receive." 

It  has  been  divinely  ordered  that  men  and  not  an- 
gels should  be  put  in  trust  with  the  gospel.  If  it  is 
man's  greatest  mission  to  imi)art  a  personal  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  to  others,  it  is  fundamental  that  he  him- 
self should  know  Jesus.  This  lies  at  the  basis  of 
all  preparation.  Without  it  there  can  be  neither  a 
sense  of  personal  obligation  nor  sustained  effort. 
The  taproot  of  conviction  is  here,  and  the  fruit  of 
discipleshii)  grows  only  out  of  this  knowledge  of 


The  FoitEiGN  Missionary.  9 

Christ  and  onr  fellowship  with  him.  Given  this  con- 
scious relationship,  and  the  missionary  will  have  the 
faith  that  knows  no  defeat,  the  hope  that  "is  as  bright 
as  the  promises  of  God,"  and  that  passion  for  souls 
which  constrained  the  great  Moravian  leader  to  cry 
out:  "That  land  shall  henceforth  be  my  country 
which  most  needs  the  gospel!" 

Preaching  is  preeminently  the  means  of  propaga- 
ting the  gospel.  It  stands  first  and  must  ahvays  be 
given  the  right  of  way,  but  w^e  can  no  more  place 
arbitrary  limitations  upon  the  methods  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  than  we  can  upon  his  power.  His  methods  of 
operation  are  as  diverse  as  the  individuality  of  the 
agents  employed.  The  supreme  aim  of  the  mission- 
ary is  to  deposit  saving  truth  with  the  greatest  swift- 
ness and  effectiveness  in  the  hearts  of  the  greatest 
number  of  people.  Pulpit  ministrations,  especially 
among  an  Oriental  people,  may  sometimes  be  laid 
aside  for  personal  work,  for  didactic  instruction,  or 
for  medical  relief.  After  all,  this  is  preaching  as 
Christ  preached,  and  ministering  as  the  great  apos- 
tle ministered. 

We  have  reached  a  point  in  missionary  work  where 
we  must  revert  to  apostolic  sources  of  power,  if  not  to 
ajDOStolic  methods.  The  gospel  is  a  message  of  love. 
"It  must  come  to  the  missionary  from  a  heavenly 
source,  and  take  hold  upon  him  with  the  charm  of  a 
divine  novelty.    It   must  be  so   fresh,  so  vivid,  so 


10  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

original  to  his  own  heart  that  he  cannot  help  want- 
ing to  tell  it  to  the  world."  Philology  has  recently 
united  with  history  in  pointing  out  the  solidarity  of 
the  human  race,  and  the  spirit  of  altruisna  reaffirms 
the  assertion  of  the  apostle  Paul,  that  all  nations  of 
men  are  made  of  one  blood.  In  a  higher  spirit  than 
the  altruistic--that  of  the  fullness  of  the  gospel — we 
can  declare  in  Christ  the  common  brotherhood  of 
man,  and  in  terms  of  a  universal  atonement  commend 
all  men  to  the  love  of  our  Father. 

Given  the  divine  initiative,  and  missionaries  will 
seek  and  find  the  highest  qualification  for  service; 
the  church  they  organize  will  not  be  an  ecclesiastical 
shell,  but  a  living  organism;  their  creation  and 
training  of  a  native  agency  will  be  an  adaptation  to 
the  needs  and  genius  of  the  people;  and  the  principles 
and  policy  of  self-support  will  work  out  into  a  self- 
respecting  and  self-propagating  church  which  will  in 
turn  carry  the  gospel  into  fields  hitherto  unreached. 

The  discussion  of  the  subject-matter  of  this  book 
comes  at  a  time  when  it  is  most  needed.  Hundreds  of 
young  men  and  young  women  are  offering  for  service 
in  the  foreign  field.  The  prayer,  ' '  Lord,  what  wouldst 
thou  have  me  to  do?"  is  a  praj^erfor  light.  In  an  age 
when  the  opportunity  for  pressing  the  work  of  world- 
wide evangelization  is  of  God,  it  is  well  to  remind 
ourselves  of  the  Master's  words:  "Abide  in  me,  and 
I  in  you  ' '    His  abiding  presence  illuminates  the  work- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  11 

man,  while  his  promise  to  abide  unto  the  end  gives  as- 
surance of  a  completed  work. 

"Ah  no,  thou  life  of  the  heart, 
Never  shalt  thou  depart! 
Not  till  the  leaven  of  God 
Shall  lighten  each  human  clod; 
Not  till  the  world  shall  climb 
To  thy  height  serene,  sublime, 
Shall  the  Christ  Avho  enters  our  door 
Paf?s  to  return  no  more." 

Nashville,  Teuu.,  May,  ISOO. 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter  I.  page 

The  Religious  Condition  of  the  World •. . . .     15 

Chapter  II. 
The  Religious  Condition  of  the  World  (Continued).     26 

Chapter  III. 
The  Foreign  Missionary 38 

Chapter  IV. 
The  Missionary  at  Work 51 

Chapter  V. 
Preaching  to  the  Heathen 60 

Chapter  VI. 
Organizing  a  Native  Church 69 

Chapter  VII. 
A  Native  Ministry 81 

Chapter  VIII. 
Self-Sui^port  of  Native  Churches 93 

Chapter  IX. 
Mission  Schools .103 

Chapter  X. 
A  Native  Christian  Literature 113 

Chapter  XI. 
Medical  Missions 119 

Chapter  XII. 

A  Short  Argument  for  Foreign  Missions 139 

(13) 


The  Foreign  Missionary  and  His  Work. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Religious  Condition  of  the  World. 
christendom. 

The  latest  and  most  reliable  statistics  show 
that  the  present  population  of  the  world  is  about 
fifteen  hundred  millions,  divided  religiously  as 
follows:  Christians,  500,000,000;  Jews,  8,000,- 
000;  Mohammedans,  180,000,000;  pagans  and 
heathens,  812,000,000;  or,  if  we  divide  the 
world's  population  into  Christian  and  non- 
Christian,  the  figures  stand  thus:  Christians, 
500,000,000;  non-Christians,  1,000,000,000.  This 
gives  Christendom  one-third  of  the  human  race, 
leaving  two-thirds  who  have  no  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ,  or  who  reject  him  as  the  Saviour  of 
the  world.  ^ 

Among  those  classed  as  Christians  there  are 
sects  and  denominations  which  we  do  not  re- 

1 "  Short  History  of  Missions,"  Edinburgh,  1894. 

(15) 


16  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

gard  as  orthodox  in  creed  or  practice.  If  we 
eliminate  these,  it  reduces  the  number  of  those 
whom  we  may  regard  as  sound  Bible  Christians 
to  comparatively  a  **  little  flock."  The  Lord  of 
all  only  knows  who  and  where  his  people  are. 
We  know  that  they  are  numerically  inferior  to 
their  enemies;  but  in  moral  power,  and  in  all 
that  distinguishes  the  higher  civilization  of  the 
world,  they  are  vastly  superior.  The  gospel 
has  made  Christendom  what  it  is:  "  the  light  and 
glory  of  the  world."  Sin  has  made  heathen- 
dom what  it  is;  *'the  land  of  darkness,  and  the 
shadow  of  death." 

The  scope  of  the  foreign  mission  field  em- 
braces all  outside  of  evangelical  Christendom, 
or  1,000,000,000  of  the  human  race.  What  a 
vast  field  is  this  for  Christian  enterprise!  We 
cannot  believe  that  the  present  moral  and  reli- 
gious condition  of  the  world  is  the  result  of  any 
divine  purpose,  as  if  God  did  not  desire  the  sal- 
vation of  all  men.  He  who  gave  his  only- 
begotten  Son  to  die  for  our  guilty  race  ciurinot 
look  with  indiiference  upon  the  wretched  moral 
condition  of  the  millions  of  the  heathen  world. 
He  loves  all  men,  and  has  done  all  that  infinite 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  17 

love  and  wisdom  could  devise  for  their  salva- 
tion. When  the  dying  Son  of  God  said  upon 
the  cross,  "It  is  finished,"  his  part  of  the  work 
of  redemption  was  complete;  and  after  he  came 
up  from  the  grave,  just  before  he  ascended  to 
his  mediatorial  throne  in  the  heavens,  he  sent 
his  heralds  into  all  the  world  with  the  gracious 
invitation:  "Come,  for  all  things  are  now 
ready. "  The  Holy  Spirit  has  been  given  to  ^ '  re- 
prove the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness, 
and  of  judgment,"  and  he  has  performed  the 
functions  of  his  divine  office  faithfully.  Why, 
then,  has  the  world  not  been  converted  to  Christ? 
Who  is  to  blame  for  the  failure?  Who  but  the 
Church?  Has  she  not  acted  the  part  of  a  "  sloth- 
ful servant?  "^ 

If  the  Church  had  maintained  her  apostolic 
zeal  and  activity;  if  the  spirit  of  aggressive  en- 
terprise which  characterized  her  early  days  had 
continued  to  animate  her,  all  the  glorious  prom- 
ises and  prophesies  of  God's  Word  concerning 
the  triumphs  of  the  gospel  in  the  earth  would 
have  long  ago  passed  into  history,  and  a  year  of 
jubilee  celebrating  the  conversion  of   the  last 

1  See  "  Great  Commission." 


18  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

2:)agaii  nation  would  have  marked  a  grand  epoch 
in  the  world's  chronology.  We  should  now 
read  with  glowing  hearts  of  the  day  when  Asia 
was  declared  a  Christian  continent,  when  the 
last  degraded  tribe  of  Africa  took  its  place 
among  the  people  of  God,  and  when  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  united  in  crowning  Jesus 
"Lord  of  all." ^ 

But  alas!  "the  aggressive  enterprise  of  the 
Church  gave  place  too  soon  to  local  and  secular 
influences."  The  great  command,  "Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,"  was  neglected;  ambitious  alliances 
with  the  world,  and  internal  dissensions  and 
strifes,  corrupted  its  piety,  and  paralyzed  its 
energies;  the  missionary  spirit,  which  had  dom- 
inated the  early  Christians,  began  to  decline, 
and  with  this  decline  came  a  loss  of  moral 
power,  then  decay  and  spiritual  death  followed, 
until  the  light  that  was  in  the  Church  became 
darkness;  and  how  great  was  that  darkness, 
known  in  history  as  the  "midnight  of  the 
world!" 

There   were,    however,   even  in  this   gloomy 

1"  Great  Commission." 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  19 

period  of  Church  history,  "a  few  names  who 
had  not  defiled  tlieir  garments,"  and  who  strove 
to  keep  alive  at  least  the  name  of  true  religion. 
Burder  says,  "the  missionaries  formed  the  only 
glory  of  these  wretched  times."  *'It  is  true  the 
name  of  Christianity  was  widening  its  territory; 
but  the  Church  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  civ- 
ilization of  the  age  were  rapidly  going  hack  into 
barbarism.  *The  night  had  reached  its  merid- 
ian.' Darkness  covered  the  land  and  gross  dark- 
ness the  people." 

But  God  never  forgets  nor  forsakes  the  cause 
of  righteousness  in  the  earth.  The  morning 
light  of  the  Reformation  began  to  dawn  upon 
the  nations  of  Europe.  Luther  and  his  associ- 
ates appeared  at  the  critical  moment,  and  by 
tlieir  evangelical  labors  restored  the  Bible  and 
a  lost  Christianity  to  the  world.  The  Reforma- 
tion did  not,  however,  restore  the  lost  spirit- 
uality of  the  Church  or  its  aggressive  mission- 
ary enterprise.  It  v/as  an  ecclesiastical  and 
theological  reform,  rather  than  an  evangelical 
revival.  It  did  not  awaken  the  sj^irit  that 
prompted  the  early  Christians  to  go  "every- 
where preaching  the  word."     The  masses  of  the 


20  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

heathen  world  were  left  to  j^erish.  It  is  true  a 
few  missionaries  were  sent  out  to  South  Amer- 
ica, Lapland,  Ceylon,  and  to  the  American  In- 
dians, but  there  was  no  general  movement  of 
the  Church  toward  the  heathen  world  for  near- 
ly two  centuries  after  Luther's  death.  ^ 

The  first  Protestant  missionary  society  was 
organized  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  or  near  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  This  introduced  a  new  era  in  the  his- 
tory of  missions,  the  era  of  *' societies,"^  and 
has  done  much  to  cultivate  a  missionary  spirit  in 
the  Protestant  Churches  of  Christendom. 

' '  Weslcyan  Methodism,  being  strictly  mission- 
ary in  character,  extended  its  operations  to  the 
West  Indies  in  1786.  The  Baptist  Missionary 
Society  was  organized  in  1*792;  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  1795.  The  American  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  began  operations  in  1810. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  organized  a 
foreign  missionary  society  in  1819.  The  Amer- 
ican Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions  came  into 
existence  in  1831.     It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the 

1  Stevens'  "  History  of  Methodism." 

2  "  Great  Commission." 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  21 

writer  to  follow,  in  this  connection,  the  histor- 
ical development  of  Christian  missions,  but  to 
give  a  brief  sketch  and  summary  of  what  has 
been  done  through  their  agency;  or,  in  other 
words,  to  present  in  outline  the  social,  political, 
moral,  and  religious  condition  of  that  portion  of 
the  human  race  which  we  call  Christian.  The 
limits  assigned  to  this  subject  forbid  anything 
more  than  a  brief  summary  of  the  gross  results 
of  what  the  gospel  has  done  for  the  world,  or 
that  part  of  the  world  immediately  or  indirect- 
ly under  its  influence. 

1.  Christiaiis  ride  the  world  politically  .^  Chris- 
tians rule  the  world.  Geographically  they  con- 
trol two-thirds  of  the  land  surface  of  the  globe, 
and  all  the  highways  of  the  seas.  More  than 
one-half  of  the  human  race  is  governed  by  Chris- 
tian rulers.  There  are  more  Mohammedans  un- 
der the  scepter  of  Queen  Victoria  than  under 
the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  and  more  pagans  than 
under  any  other  ruler  except  the  Emperor  of 
China.  Her  subjects  in  India,  Ceylon,  Hong- 
kong,  Aden,  Africa,  etc.,  number  200,000,000. 

1  In  this  general  exhibit  all  Christians  'Protestants,  Catholics, 
etc.)  are  classed  together.  See  "  Universal  Geography;"  "Com- 
mercial Register." 


22  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

Add  to  these  the  French  possessions  in  Armenia 
and  Africa  and  Russian  possessions  in  Siberia. 
These  millions  added  to  the  500,000,000  of 
Christians  make  more  than  one-half  of  mankind. 
Another  fact  to  be  taken  into  the  account  is 
that,  while  the  countries  under  Mohammedan 
and  pagan  rule  are  nearly  filled  to  their  utmost 
capacity,  and  their  populations  decreasing,  the 
territory  and  population  of  Christian  countries 
are  annually  increasing.  The  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  have  one  hundred  missionary  so- 
cieties in  the  Protestant  Churches,  employing 
about  nine  thousand  foreign  missionaries,  at  an 
expense  of  nearly  eleven  million  dollars  annual- 
ly. They  are  thus  constantly  increasing  the 
area  of  their  influence  as  Christian  nations.  ^ 

2.  Christian  nations  command  the  great  armies 
and  names  of  the  \rorld.  They  can  dictate  terms 
of  war  or  peace  to  the  other  nations,  if  they 
choose  to  unite  their  great  military  powers. 
While  we  do  not  class  war  with  the  evangelical 
agencies  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  world, 
we  must  admit  that  it  has  done  much  to  prepare 
the  way  of  access  to  many  heathen  lands,  such 

1  '*  Religions  of  the  World." 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  23 

as  China,  Japan,  India,  and  Africa,  which  the 
missionaries  could  not  have  entered;  or,  if  by 
any  means  they  could  have  entered,  they  could 
not  have  remained  without  military  protection. 
God  has  overruled  the  counsels  of  kings  and  sen- 
ates, and  thus  "  made  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise 
him."  Even  cruel  war  has  been  made  to  serve 
the  benevolent  purposes  of  divine  Providence. 
God  has  placed  the  military  power  of  the  world 
in  the  hands  of  Christian  nations  for  a  purpose. 

3.  The  icealth  of  the  loorld  is  owned  hy  Chris- 
tians. "The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fullness 
thereof:  the  world  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 
Christians  not  only  conduct  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  world,  but  they  own  its  silver  and  gold, 
control  its  commerce,  and  regulate  its  exchange. 
The  great  gold-producing  districts  of  the  pres- 
ent are  the  property  of  Christian  nations.  They 
also  own  the  manufactories  and  labor-saving 
machinery  of  the  world. 

4.  TJie  thinklncj productive  intellect  of  the  world 
is  CJiristkm.  The  great  schools  and  colleges, 
and  general  machinery  of  education,  are  under 
the  management  and  ownership  of  Christians. 
The  poetry,  historyj  and  philosophy  worthy  of 


24:  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  name  are  all  the  product  of  Christian  in- 
tellect. Geography,  mineralogy,  natural  philos- 
ophy, chemistry,  with  all  their  kindred  branches, 
belong  exclusively  to  Christendom.  The  men- 
tal scepter  of  the  world  is  in  Christian  hands. 
The  press,  the  telegraph  that  bears  on  its  wings 
of  fire  the  active  thought  of  a  busy  race,  and  the 
steam  that  drives  the  machinery  and  performs 
the  manual  labor  of  the  civilized  world  are  the 
servants  of  Christian  nations. 

5.  Christianity  is  the  only  true  religion  in.  the 
viorld  and  must  ultimately  triumph  over  all  forms 
of  religious  error.  Truth  is  immortal,  "the 
eternal  years  of  God  are  hers."  She  cannot 
therefore  perish.  It  is  the  only  spiritual  reli- 
gion: the  only  one  that  deals  directly  with 
man's  spirit;  the  only  one  that  has  provided  an 
adequate  atonement  for  sin,  and  that  has  power 
to  renew  our  sinful  nature,  making  "us  new 
creatures  in  Christ  Jesus" — "transforming  the 
sinner  into  the  saint; "  giving  him  moral  ability 
to  keep  God's  holy  law — to  live  a  pure  and  use- 
ful life  in  a  sinful  world,  and  the  only  religion 
that  can  fit  man  for  the  "  inheritance  of  thesaiuta 
in  light."     All  that  we  enjoy  in  this  life,  and  all 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  25 

we  ho2:)e  for  in  the  life  to  come,  we  owe  to  the 
blessed  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  If  all  it  has 
done  and  is  doing  for  the  world  were  written, 
*'I  suppose  that  even  the  world  itself  could  not 
contain  the  books  that  should  be  written." 
(Johnxxi.  25.) 

Should  Christian  missions  increase  in  number 
and  efficiency  during  the  next  century,  relative- 
ly, as  they  have  done  during  the  last  hundred 
years,  the  last  pagan  nation  will  have  been  con- 
verted, and  Jesus  '* crowned  Lord  of  all." 

There  are  at  present  13,432  mission  stations 
where  the  gospel  is  preached  and  taught  in 
schools;  7,800  organized  native  churches  in  the 
foreign  field;  4,500  ordained  native  preachers; 
about  7,000  Sunday  schools,  with  1,100,768  pu- 
pils, and  a  native  Church  membership  of  900, 000.  ^ 

1 "  Short  History  of  Missions." 


CHAPTEH  II. 

The  Religious  Condition  of  the  Would 
(Continued). 

HEATHENDOM. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  I  have  endeavored 
to  give  a  summary  view  of  the  present  condition 
of  the  Christian  world.  It  is  my  purpose  in  this 
chapter  to  present  a  brief  description  of  the 
heathen  world.  The  sketch  must  necessarily 
be  very  imperfect,  but  it  may  serve  to  give  the 
reader  some  idea  of  the  moral,  social,  and  reli- 
gious condition  of  the  millions  embraced  in  the 
vast  field  of  missionary  cif  ort.  The  first  chajDter 
shows,  in  outline,  what  has  been  done  by  the 
gospel  for  the  elevation  and  salvation  of  man- 
kind; this  present  chapter  furnishes  a  brief 
view  of  what  remains  to  be  done. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  heathen  is  deplor- 
able beyond  conception.  Human  language  is 
utterly  inadequate  to  portray  the  abominations 

which  characterize  their  civil,   Gociul,  and  reli- 
(20) 


The  FoiiEiGN  Missionary.  27 

glous  life.  They  .are  *'full  of  all  unrighteous- 
ness and  uneleanness."  Social  life  is  poisoned 
in  its  very  fountains,  and  sends  forth  only  a 
stream  of  iniquity.  Paul's  portraiture  of  the 
heathen  in  his  day  is  true  of  the  heathen  na- 
tions of  to-da}^^  "They  changed  the  truth  of 
God  into  a  lie,  and  worshiped  and  served  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator;"  and  "because 
that,  Avhen  they  knew  God,  they  glorified  him 
not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful;  but  became 
vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish 
heart  Avas  darkened.  Professing  themselves  to 
be  wise,  they  became  fools,  and  changed  the 
glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  an  image 
made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds, 
and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping  things. 
Wherefore  God  also  gave  them  up  to  unclean- 
ness  through  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts.  For 
this  cause  he  gave  them  up  to  vile  affections." 
"And  even  as  they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in 
their  knowledge,  God  gave  them  over  to  a  rep- 
robate mind,  to  do  those  things  which  are  not 
convenient;  being  filled  with  all  unrighteous- 
ness, fornication,  wickedness,  covetousness,  m.a- 

1  See  Romans,  chapter  i.     "  Thoughts  ou  Missions." 


28  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

liciougness;  full  of  envy,  murder,  debate,  deceit, 
malignity;  whisperers,  backbiters,  haters  of 
God,  despiteful,  proud,  boasters,  inventors  of 
evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without  un- 
derstanding, covenant  breakers,  without  natural 
affection,  implacable,  unmerciful."  AYhat  a  pic- 
ture of  human  wickedness!  But  it  does  not  ex- 
ceed in  a  single  line,  or  in  vivid  coloring,  the 
fearful  reality  which  the  inspired  penman  in- 
tended to  portray.^  Every  missionary  who  has 
lived  and  labored  among  the  lower  grades  of  pa- 
gans will  bear  testimony  to  its  fidelity.  Ages 
have  not  improved  their  moral  condition.  They 
are,  if  possible,  worse  than  they  were  centuries 
ago.  As  a  malignant  disease  grows  worse  as 
time  advances,  unless  arrested;  as  a  falling  body 
increases  in  velocity  as  it  descends,  so  do  wick- 
ed men  and  seducers  * '  wax  worse  and  worse,  de- 
ceiving and  being  deceived."  Nothing  but  the 
blessed  gospel  can  improve  the  moral  and  reli- 
gious condition  of  the  heathen  world. 

All  that  has  been  said  by  hasty  travelers  and 
superficial  temporary  residents  in  heathen  lands 
about  the  happy  and  contented  peasantry  of  those 

1  Romans,  chapter  i. ;  Ephesians  v.  11, 12;  Jeremiah  xiv.  16. 


The  Foreign  Missionary. 


29 


lands   is   mere   fiction.     They   are   not   happy. 
They  are  not  contented.     Why  should  they  be? 
It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  sin  to  make  men  hap- 
py.    The  heathen  are  great  sinners.     Besides, 
they  suffer  all  the  physical  ills  that  afflict  man- 
kind, and  that  under  circumstances  which  great- 
ly enhance  their  miseries.     They   are   without 
the  consolations  of  hope,  the  solace  of  friend- 
ship, or  the  pleasures  and  joys  of  a  pure  and  up- 
right life.     They  feel  the  anxieties  and  cares, 
the  burdens  and  sorrows,  that  distress  our  fallen 
race  in  all  lands.     The  awful  problems  which 
have  in  all  ages  disturbed  the  mental   rest  of 
thoughtful  men,  "What  am  I?"    -Whither  am 
I  going?"    ''If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again?" 
press  with  fearful  solemnity  Tipon  the  dark  and 
troubled  mind  of  the  heathen.      -Without  God 
and  without  hope  in  the  world,"  they  are  exceed- 
ingly unhappy. 

^  We  may  verify  and  illustrate  the  foregoing 
observations  by  facts  gathered  in  heathen  lands 
by  Christian  missionaries  and  others.  The  ma- 
terial for  illustration  is  abundant  and  near  at 
hand.  We  shall,  however,  select  only  such  facts 
as  bear  directly   upon  the  points   indicated  in 


30  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  above  paragraphs,  and  such  as  illustrate  es- 
pecially the  character  of  the  different  systems 
of  heathen  religions. 

Ileatlienism  in  Asia. — This  great  division  of 
the  earth  contains  not  only  a  majority  of  the 
human  race,  but  also  the  greatest  variety  of  its 
species.  "Its  teeming  millions  are  crowded 
into  immense  cities,  towns,  and  villages,  where 
every  form  of  human  vice  and  misery  festers  and 
2)ropagates  with  fearful  malignity.  Every  crime 
in  the  catalogue  of  wrongdoing  is  practiced  Avith 
jjrofessional  skill,  and  pleasing  names  given  to 
the  most  disgusting  sins.  The  sanctions  of  re- 
ligion are  superadded  as  inducements  to  lust  and 
violence.  Where  a  warm  climate  inflames  to 
fever  heat  the  natural  appetites  and  passions,  op- 
pression, v/rong,  and  injustice  are  almost  heathen 
virtues."^  The  English  government  has  done 
much  to  improve  the  material  and  social  condi- 
tion of  India  and  other  parts  of  Asia,  but  the  land 
is  still  in  spiritual  darkness,  is  still  heathen. 

"The  Hindoos  are  full  of  superstition,  cruel- 
ty, deceit,  and  hate.  The  lower  classes  wor- 
ship mere  stocks    and  stones,  their  dead  rela- 

1 "  Religious  Condition  of  the  World."— J.  T.  Gracey  in  "India." 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  31 

tives,  and  many  objects  of  grotesque  shapes. 
One  of  the  popular  deities  of  India  is  Kali,  a  fe- 
male Satan,  the  incarnation  of  cruelty  and  li- 
centiousness. Her  eyes  are  red,  her  eyebrows 
bloody,  and  streams  of  blood  rush  from  her 
breast.  She  is  dreaded  by  the  natives  because 
of  her  furious  temper  and  revengeful  spirit. 
She  is  worshiped  with  fear  and  trembling. 
The  blood  of  a  tiger  will,  it  is  believed,  appease 
her  for  one  hundred  years;  that  of  a  reindeer,  a 
lion,  or  a  man,  for  one  thousand  years.  She  is 
the  patron  goddess  of  that  horrible  clan  of  pro- 
fessional murderers  and  highway  robbers  who 
have  infested  India  for  centuries — the  Thugs. 
Their  instruments  of  death  are  consecrated  to 
her,  and  her  victims  immolated  in  her  honor. 
Immense  sums  of  money  are  annually  exj)ended 
in  her  worship.  One  writer  estimates  that  not 
less  than  ^50,000  is  every  year  spent  on  a  single 
shrine  in  Calcutta!"^ 

The  Golden  Temple  in  Benares  is  filled  with 
obscene  idols.  The  Monkey  Temple  in  that 
city  contains  hundreds  of  these  disgusting  crea- 
tures.     "  The  Temple  of  Juggernaut  is  in  Piiri, 

1  J.  T.  Grace y. 


32  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

and  renders  the  whole  district  sacred  in  the  eyes 
of  the  natives.  They  say  the  gods  send  down 
showers  of  sweet-scented  flowers  on  the  city  where 
this  temple  stands.  The  very  dust  is  pure  gold, 
and  all  the  surrounding  country  is  holy  ground." 
It  is  estimated  that  ten  thousand  peasants  an- 
nually sacrifice  their  lives  to  the  worship  of  this 
popular  idol.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  dol- 
lars are  spent  by  the  wealthy  at  his  shrine  every 
year,  some  giving  as  much  as  $25,000  at  one 
time.  The  festivals  dedicated  to  Juggernaut 
are  attended  by  the  most  revolting  scenes  of  li- 
centiousness and  debauchery.  One  writer  says: 
"It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  the  blasphemy, 
lying,  adultery,  filthy  talking,  and  nameless 
vices  that  prevail  in  this  city;  and  the  women 
are  worse  than  the  men." 

Woman  is  degraded  in  India  as  she  is  in  all 
heathen  countries.  Infanticide  of  female  chil- 
dren is  common.  Dr.  J.  T.  Gracey,  in  his 
little  book  "India"  (1884),  says:  "The  infanti- 
cide of  female  children,  as  reported  by  the  gov- 
ernment, reads  like  a  romance  'set  on  fire  of 
hell. ' "  In  one  village  there  were  104  boys  and  but 
one  girl.      "Child  marriage"  is  another  abomi- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  33 

nation  of  heathenism  in  India.  "  The  census  of 
India  shows  that  in  188 J:  there  were  not  less  than 
77,365  widows  under  ten  years  of  age,  281,399 
under  fifteen  years  of  age."  "One-sixth  of  the 
female  population  of  India,  a  few  years  ago, 
was  estimated  to  be  widows."  The  foregoing 
facts  serve  to  indicate  the  condition  of  social 
and  domestic  life  in  India,  and  to  illustrate  the 
character  of  Oriental  heathenism  throughout  the 
East  generally.  What  has  been  said  of  India 
may  be  said  of  China,  with  some  modification; 
also  of  Japan,  Burmah,  Siam,  and  other  East- 
ern countries. 

Ileathemsm  in  Africa. — Until  a  comparative- 
ly recent  date  little  was  known  of  the  tribes  in 
the  interior  of  Africa.  Baker,  Speake,  and  Liv- 
ingstone have  added  much  to  our  knowledge  of 
these  wretched  ]3eople,  and  furnished  new  proofs 
of  the  brutalizing  effects  of  heathenism.  ' '  What 
is  true  of  one  tribe,"  says  a  recent  writer,  "  may, 
w^ith  slight  modifications,  be  asserted  of  all. 
The  principles  of  justice,  the  rules  of  decency, 
the  instincts  of  humanity,  the  ties  of  kindred, 
and  bonds  of  friendship  are  trampled  under 
foot.     Theft,  fraud,  falsehood,  deceit,  duplicity, 


34  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

injustice,  and  oppression  are  universal.  Intem- 
perance, licentiousness,  gluttony,  debauchery, 
murder,  incest  are  as  common  as  the  habits  of 
eating  and  sleeping.  No  man  tells  the  truth 
when  it  is  possible  to  invent  a  lie.  Christian- 
ity in  any  form  is  utterly  unknov/n."  "There 
is  no  word  in  any  of  the  barbarous  dialects  of 
Africa  corresponding  to  our  word  '  love.' 
The  nearest  approach  to  it  are  expressions  refer- 
ring to  animal  instinct.  There  is  no  love,  no 
friendship,  no  confidence,  no  intellectual  im- 
provement. Hatred,  revenge,  lust,  and  super- 
stition are  universally  characteristic  of  pagan- 
ism in  Africa."  These  terrible  words  were 
written  some  thirty  years  ago  by  a  Christian 
man  (not  a  minister  or  missionary)  who  had 
spent  more  than  three  years  among  the  natives 
in  Central  Africa. 

Fetichism  and  devil  worship  arc  still  the  prin- 
cipal religions  of  the  masses  of  African  savages. 
Fetichism  is  the  lowest  form  of  human  worship, 
and  sinks  into  such  stupid  brutality  as  to  be 
wholly  unintelligible  to  foreigners,  like  the  nat- 
ural language  of  beasts.  A  fetich  may  be  a  piece 
of  Avood,  a  goat's  horn,  consecrated  by  the  jug- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  85 

glers  or  priests,  and  is  worn  on  the  person  un- 
der the  delusion  that  it  has  the  power  to  protect 
the  wearer  from  harm  and  danger.  Devil  wor- 
ship is  just  what  the  words  mean — the  worship 
of  devils. 

My  space  will  not  permit  further  details.  I 
have  furnished  illustrations  enough  to  show 
what  heathenism  is  in  its  general  character,  and 
its  demoralizing  and  degrading  effects  upon  its 
devotees.  It  is  the  incarnation  of  all  evil.  It 
is  one  of  the  "  works  of  the  devil "  which  Christ 
came  to  destroy,  and  which  he  Aviil  most  surely 
drive  out  of  the  world. 

All  the  heathen  are  not  thus  brutalized. 
There  are  idolaters  who  are  struggling  after  a 
better  life  than  the  debased  masses  around  them, 
but  they  are  without  God  and  without  hope 
in  the  world.  Heathenism  is  all  I  have  depict- 
ed it — the  cruel,  wicked  enemy  of  all  righteous- 
ness. Those  therefore  in  heathen  lands  v/ho  are 
seeking  to  cultivate  goodness  and  "  follow  after 
righteousness,"  are  rare  exceptions,  to  be  found 
now  and  then,  here  and  there.  I  remember  talk- 
ing to  a  man  who  was  under  a  vow  to  remain  in 
a  cage  for  nve  years.     lie  had  spent  three  years 


36  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

in  his  narrow  prison.  His  hair  and  beard  had 
not  been  cut  during  the  three  years,  and  his 
finger  nails  had  grown  until  they  looked  like 
bird's  claws.  I  asked  him  why  he  thus  pun- 
ished himself.  His  answer  touched  me.  He 
seemed  sincere,  and  spoke  in  a  tone  of  voice  that 
indicated  deep  feeling.  He  said :  ' '  That  I  may 
purge  away  my  sins,  and  save  my  soul."  I  felt 
the  pathos  of  his  answer.  Surely  the  mercy-lov- 
ing Father  of  all  looks  with  compassion  upon 
these  poor  benighted  children  of  sorrow!  What 
Christian  can  think  of  them  and  not  feel  the 
depths  of  his  soul  moved  with  pity  for  them? 
God  is  merciful. 

The  Chinese  are  thoroughly  heathen,  though 
not  as  gross  in  their  religious  notions  as  some  other 
heathen  jieople.  They  are  atheistic — having  no 
religion — that  is,  no  indigenous  system  of  reli- 
gious teaching.  Buddhism  was  brought  from 
India  into  China,  and  is  the  most  popular  reli- 
gion in  the  empire.  Taoism  originated  in  Cliina, 
but  has  been  so  modified  and  obscured  by  amal- 
gation  with  Confucianism  and  Buddhism  as  to 
have  lost  its  original  form.  There  are  Taoist 
priests  and  temples  in  all  the  provinces,  but  they 


TuE  Foreign  Missionary.  37 

rank  below  the  Confiicianists  and  Buddhists  in 
popular  favor.  Taoism  is  metaphysical  non- 
sense. 

The  Chinese  are  very  superstitious  as  a  people, 
and  the  land  is  full  of  idols,  but  the  most  influ- 
ential and  universal  form  of  belief  in  that  vast 
empire  is  connected  with  ancestral  worship. 
Confucianists,  Buddhists,  and  Taoists  all  wor- 
ship in  the  "ancestral  hall,"  and  at  the  tombs 
of  their  fathers.  I  believe  that  if  the  people  of 
China  were  required  to  give  up  all  their  religious 
opinions  and  superstitions,  the  last  they  Avould 
surrender  would  be  this  ancient  form  of  idola- 
try. They  believe  the  air  to  be  crowded  with 
evil  spirits.  "They  are  in  bondage  all  their 
lives  through  fear"  of  these  malignant  be- 
ings. They  believe  in  the  transmigration  of 
souls.  Infanticide  is  fearfully  common  among 
all  classes. 

The  foregoing  is  a  brief  and  imperfect  outline 
sketch  of  heathenism,  the  great  sin  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Foreigx  Missionaky. 

HIS  QUALIFICATIONS. 

I.  A  Call  to  the  Work. — There  are  two  ways  in 
which  a  man  may  be  called  to  the  work  of  a  for- 
eign missionary:  First,  by  an  inward  prompting 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  secondly,  by  a  provi- 
dential ordering  of  circumstances. 

(1)  The  first  foreign  missionaries  sent  out  by 
the  Christian  Church  were  selected  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  said  to  the  authorities  of  the  church 
at  Antioch,  "Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul 
for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them." 
They  were  first  called  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  and 
when  this  fact  was  communicated  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  churcli,  they  ' '  fasted  and  prayed,  and 
laid  their  hands  on  them,"  thus  recognizing  and 
indorsing  the  call  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  after  which 
they  sent  them  away.  "So  they,  being  sent  forth 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto  Seleucia;  and 
from  thence  they  sailed  to  Cyprus."  (Acts 
xiii.  1-4.) 
(38) 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  39 

We  have  in  this  brief  narrative  the  manner  in 
which  the  first  foreign  missionaries  were  called 
and  sent  forth:  (1)  They  were  selected  by  the 
Holy  Ghost;  (2)  they  were  ordained  and  com- 
missioned by  the  Church.  After  the  Church  had 
ordained  them  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the 
Holy  Ghost  sent  them  out  on  their  first  great 
missionary  journey. 

St.  Paul,  in  his  letter  to  the  Galatians  (Gal. 
i.  15-17),  says  of  his  commission:  "When  it 
pleased  God,  who  separated  me  from  my  moth- 
er's womb,  and  called  me  by  his  grace,  to  reveal 
his  Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  him  among 
the  heathen;  immediately  I  conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood."  Neither  did  he  go  up  to  Je- 
rusalem to  consult  those  who  were  his  seniors  in 
the  apostolic  oftice,  but  went  into  Arabia.  He 
was  satisfied  with  the  call  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  the  indorsement  of  the  church  at  Antioch, 
and,  without  seeking  further  authority,  went 
forth  to  his  great  work  as  a  missionary  to  the 
heathen.     So  also  his  companion,  Barnabas. 

(2)  It  is  evident  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  not 
call  any  man  to  a  work  for  which  he  is  not  in 
some  degree  qualified.     If  therefore  one  claims 


40  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

to  be  called  to  the  work  of  a  foreign  missionary, 
and  yet  evidently  has  not  fitness  for  such  a 
work,  .his  claim  must  be  discredited,  and  the 
Church  should  refuse  to  commission  him.  It  is 
more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  applicant  is 
mistaken  in  his  claim  to  be  called  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  than  that  the  Omniscient  Spirit  should 
call  an  utterly  incompetent  man  to  such  a  re- 
sponsible and  difficult  Avork. 

In  addition,  therefore,  to  the  *' inward  prompt- 
ing "  of  the  Sjjirit,  by  which  a  man  is  persuaded 
that  he  is  called  to  be  a  foreign  missionary,  there 
must  be  such  evidence  of  personal  fitness  for  the 
work  as  to  satisfy  the  Church,  through  its  repre- 
sentatives, that  he  is  a  proper  person  to  be  cm- 
jjloyed.  Until  the  claim  to  be  called  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  thus  indorsed  by  the  Church,  the 
call  is  not  satisfactory.  It  is  at  least  not  imper- 
ative. We  may  be  sure  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  open  the  Avay  to  the  discharge  of  any  duty  to 
which  he  calls  a  person.  God  never  calls  a  man 
to  do  what  he  is  unable  to  do,  or  what  he  ought 
not  to  do.  If,  therefore,  a  man  is  physically  or 
mentally  unable  to  discharge  the  functions  of 
an  office  to  which  he  imagines  himself  called, 


Tns  Foreign  Missionary.  41 

he  must  be  mistaken.  In  judging  of  the  fitness 
of  a  candidate  for  the  work  of  a  foreign  m^ission- 
ary,  the  committee  of  examination  should  make 
a  thorou2;h  investio-ation  of  his  Qualifications  for 
the  work  he  proposes  to  undertake.  If  he  is 
found  wanting  in  any  essential  point,  his  claim 
to  be  called  by  the  Holy  Spirit  must  be  a  mis- 
take. But  if  his  i^ersonal  qualifications  show 
him  well  adapted  to  the  work,  then  the  call  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  confirmed  by  the  "outward 
circumstances  "  of  the  case,  and  he  may  be  sent 
forth  into  the  mission  field  to  work. 

Any  young  person  who  thinks  of  becoming  a 
foreign  missionary  should  make  it  a  subject  of 
earnest  prayer  and  close  self-examination.  The 
question  of  ultimate  fitness  for  the  work  will, 
however,  be  determxined  by  the  measure  of  his 
success  in  the  field.  Ko  one  can  certainly  fore- 
cast what  results  will  attend  his  labors.  This 
must  be  left  to  time  and  experience.  So  much 
the  greater  need  therefore  for  divine  guidance  in 
the  preliminary  stages  of  the  inquiry  as  to  the 
foreign  field. 

II.  Fersonal  Character. — Among  the  quali- 
fications which  Ave   may  consider  necessary  to 


42  The  Foueigx  Missionary. 

success  is  a  sound  i^ersonal  character.  By 
this  I  mean  the  sum  of  all  the  qualities  which 
go  to  make  up  the  man,  physically,  mentally, 
morally,  and  socially.  If  in  any  of  these  he  is 
materially  deficient,  the  harmony  of  the  whole 
character  is  more  or  less  marred.  If,  for  in- 
stance, he  has  a  dull  ear,  or  if  he  has  an  imped- 
iment in  his  speech,  he  will  never  learn  to  speak 
a  foreign  language  with  accuracy  or  fluency. 

1.  Common  sense  is  a  very  important  qualifica- 
tion. It  is  the  balance  Avheel  of  all  the  other 
faculties — that  by  which  all  the  mental  move- 
ment is  regulated. 

2.  A  pure  moral  character  is  that  upon  which 
all  the  other  qualities  rest.  Wanting  this,  the 
man  is  utterly  unfi.t  for  the  ministry,  at  home  or 
abroad.  If  he  could  "  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men  and  of  angels,"  and  though  he  had  the  gift 
of  prophecy,  and  could  explain  all  mysteries, 
and  yet  was  unsteady  in  moral  character,  he 
would  be  no  better  than  "a  sounding  brass  or  a 
tinkling  cymbal." 

III.  The  supreme  and  all  essential  qualification 
for  missionary  toorJc  is  personal  piety.  If  desti- 
tute of  this,  the  candidate  need  claim  no  other 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  43 

qualification;  there  is  no  place  for  him  as  a  pub- 
lic teacher.  He  would  be  "a  blind  leader  of 
the  blind." 

IV.  The  foreign  missionary  should  be  a  pru- 
dent man.  He  will  find  himself  ' '  a  stranger  in 
a  strange  land,"  placed  under  new  and  trying 
circumstances.  The  people  are  strange.  They 
speak  a  strange  language.  Their  customs  and 
manners  are  strange.  They  have  strange  views 
of  life,  of  duty,  of  religion,  of  death  and  a  fu- 
ture state.  The  missionary  finds  it  diflicult  to 
adjust  himself  to  his  new  relations.  The  ac- 
quisition of  the  language  perplexes  him.  He 
is  anxious  to  be  at  work  among  the  people,  and 
unless  he  has  judicious  advisers  he  is  liable  to 
make  many  mistakes  in  his  first  efforts  to  in- 
struct the  heathen — mistakes  that  may  seriously 
embarrass  him,  and  create  prejudices  that  it 
will  require  years  to  overcome.  In  his  inter- 
course with  the  unconverted  natives  the  mission- 
ary should  be  very  careful  not  to  give  unneces- 
sary offense.  He  may  do  much  harm  by  a  sin- 
gle injudicious  act.  The  heathen  must  receive 
and  respect  the  missionary  personally  before 
they  will  receive  his  message. 


44  The  Foiieigx  Missionary. 

Again,  the  relations  of  missionaries  in  the 
same  field  are  very  close,  and  unless  they  are 
free  from  a  selfish  desire  for  jjreeminence  they 
will  have  heartburnings  and  strifes  among  them- 
selves, greatly  to  the  injury  of  the  cause  they 
wish  to  promote.     Sudi  things  have  happened. 

The  missionary  will  also  need  prudence  to 
guide  him  in  his  organization  and  control  of  the 
native  converts.  The  converts  will  naturally 
look  to  him  for  counsel  and  advice  in  temporal  as 
well  as  in  spiritual  matters.  Much  will  depend 
upon  the  advice  he  gives.  He  will  have  to  correct 
the  prejudices  of  ignorance  and  the  bias  of  hoary 
superstitions  which  have  for  ages  perhaps  been 
held  as  sacred  truths — superstitions  inAvoven  with 
the  mental,  social,  and  domestic  life  of  the  peo- 
ple. To  uproot  these  requires  great  prudence 
and  tact,  llie  converts  unconsciously  wish  to 
put  the  new  wine  of  the  gospel  into  e  old  bot- 
tles of  heathen  customs,  and  see  no  incongruity 
in  the  mixture  of  truth  and  error  it  implies. 

To  disturb  the  social  and  domestic  institutions 
of  heathenism  is  to  destroy  the  whole  fabric  of 
society,  to  revolutionize  public  sentiment,  and 
to  introduce  into  the  daily  life  of  the  people  a 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  45 

new  system  of  living.  Not  only  does  this  im- 
ply the  destruction  of  the  old  fabric,  but  the 
erection  of  an  entirely  new  structure.  He  must 
be  "a  master  builder "  who  can  wisely  superin- 
tend such  a  work. 

The  opinion  once  prevailed  in  the  churches 
at  home  that  any  good  man  who  had  a  sound 
Christian  experience  was  qualified  to  be  a  for- 
eign missionary.  This  opinion  rested  on  the 
belief  that  all  the  heathen  needed  was  some  one 
to  tell  them  about  the  Saviour  of  the  world; 
that  they  were  simply  ignorant  of  the  gospel, 
and  would  gladly  receive  it  when  brought  to 
them.  The  real  difficulties  of  the  work  are  now 
better  understood,  and  the  demand  is  for  our 
most  gifted  and  cultivated  young  men  and  women. 
The  missionary  has  to  contend  with  the  most 
subtle  systems  of  false  religion  and  false  philos- 
ophy, and  must  be  wise  if  he  wins  the  heathen 
to  Christ. 

V.  The  foreign  inissionary  sJiould  he  a  diligent 
student  of  the  JBihle.  Whatever  else  he  may 
know  as  a  scholar,  wanting  familiarity  with  the 
Word  of  God,  he  is  radically  deficient  as  a  min- 
ister, especially  as  a  missionary  to  the  heathen. 


46  The  Foreign  Missionary, 

The  Bible  is  his  chart,  his  guide,  his  standard 
in  all  matters  of  religious  and  moral  teaching. 
He  should  therefore  be  able  to  support  all  his 
teaching  by  a  "Thus  saith  the  Lord."  The  gos- 
23el  is  marvelously  adapted  to  "all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men,"  in  all  countries  and  through 
all  the  ages.  It  is  not  so  important  to  tell  the 
people  that  they  are  sinners  as  it  is  to  tell  them 
what  provision  has  been  made  for  their  salvation, 
and  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  They  know 
they  are  sinners,  and  have  invented  many  de- 
vices for  getting  rid  of  the  consequences  of  sin. 
It  is  the  missionary's  privilege  and  duty  to  show 
unto  them  *'a  more  excellent  way" — not  a  new 
way  only^  but  the  true  way  through  Jesus 
Christ;  and  "not  another  gospel,"  but  "the 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,"  which  was 
preached  by  Christ  and  his  apostles.  The  mis- 
sionary must  know  the  gospel  in  its  letter  and 
spirit  if  he  would  preach  it  in  its  fullness  and 
power.  lie  should  therefore  make  it  the  study 
of  his  life.  If  he  can  read  the  Bible  in  the 
original  languages,  so  much  the  better.  This  is 
not  absolutely  necessary,  however.  "The  word 
of  the  Lord  is  not  bound,"  or  locked  up  in  any 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  47 

one  language.  It  is  divine  truth,  and  therefore 
capable  of  expression  in  any  and  all  the  lan- 
guages spoken  by  man. 

VI.  The  foreign  missioiuiry  should  he  a  man 
of  good  education.  That  is,  he  should  be  well 
informed  in  all  matters  connected  with  his  call- 
ing; practical  rather  than  technical  or  specula- 
tive knowledge  is  what  he  needs.  He  cannot 
have  too  much  learning,  if  it  be  of  the  right 
kind;  but  it  is  not  necessary  that  he  be  an  adept 
in  speculative  philosophy  in  order  to  teach  men 
the  way  of  salvation.  If  he  labors  among  a  peo- 
ple who  have  systems  of  religion  and  philosophy, 
he  must  make  these  a  careful  study,  and  he  may 
need  all  the  learning  he  possesses  to  meet  and 
refute  them.  "The  more  excellent  way,"  how- 
ever, to  refute  error,  is  to  teach  the  truth.  If 
the  missionary  is  sent  to  a  barbarous  people,  he 
will  have  use  for  all  his  knowledge,  theoretical 
and  practical.  lie  will  have  to  teach  everything 
that  belongs  to  a  decent  grade  of  civilization: 
how  to  make  clothes  and  how  to  wear  them; 
how  to  cook  food  and  how  to  eat  it,  how  to 
build  houses  and  how  to  live  in  them,  etc. 

The   translation    of   the   Scriptures   and   the 


48  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

creation  of  a  Christian  literature  require  special 
qualifications,  and  a  few  persons  in  a  mission 
station  usually  do  this  kind  of  work  while  the 
majority  act  as  evangelists,  school-teachers, 
physicians,  etc. 

VII.  The  foreign  'inissionary  sliould  he  a  rrwbn 
of  an  amiable  and  ChristUke  spirit;  a  lover  of 
his  race,  filled  with  an  ardent  desire  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world;  of  a  tender  and  sympathet- 
ic disposition,  approachable  and  companionable. 
He  must  be  able  to  mix  with  the  jjeople,  as  a 
good  neighbor  and  a  faithful  friend.  He  must 
come  into  close  contact  with  all  classes,  so  far 
as  he  can.  Like  his  divine  Lord,  he  should  be 
''a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners;"  able  to  en- 
ter into  the  daily  life,  the  sympathies,  joys,  sor- 
rows, hopes,  and  fears  of  the  multitudes  around 
him. 

He  should  be  a  man  of  great  faith  and  much 
prayer.  He  will  feel  the  need  of  constant  com- 
munion with  God,  his  Heavenly  Father,  as  lie 
never  did  while  among  his  people  at  home. 
There  is  a  feeling  of  loneliness,  of  separation, 
connected  with  a  residence  in  a  foreign  land, 
which  is  sometimes  very  oppressive.     The  for- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  49 

eign  mission  field  is  no  place  for  a  gloomy  pes- 
simist. The  promises  of  God's  Word  are  very 
great,  and  furnish  an  unfailing  source  of  comfort 
and  encouragement  to  those  who  have  grace  to 
claim  them.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  said  our  Lord  to  his 
disciples  just  before  his  ascension,  and  this 
promise  he  has  verified  to  his  servants,  the  for- 
eign missionaries,  in  a  most  remarkable  man- 
ner. This  personal  presence  of  the  divine 
Master  secures  success  under  all  circumstances, 
even  the  most  adverse.  It  gives  courage,  pa- 
tience, hope,  and  assurance  of  ultimate  success, 
and  thus  supports  the  lonely  laborer  in  his  field 
of  toil,  wherever  it  may  be.  If  I  have  not  mate- 
rially misapprehended  the  subject,  the  call  and 
qualifications  necessary  to  fit  one  for  successful 
labor  in  a  foreign  mission  field  are  such  as  are 
required  for  successful  labor  in  the  home  field, 
with  such  modifications  as  necessarily  result  from 
a  difference  of  local  circumstances.  As  a  rule, 
the  successful  minister  at  home  will  make  a  use- 
ful and  successful  missionary  if  he  goes  abroad. 
The  work  is  substantially  the  same  in  character 
and  spirit.     The  successful  minister  in  'New  York 


50  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

would  be  a  successful  missionary  in  Calcutta  or 
Peking,  other  things  being  equal.  Eminent  suc- 
cess results  from  eminent  fitness  in  the  agent.  We 
find  in  the  same  field  at  home  ministers  who  are 
successful,  and  by  their  side,  under  precisely  the 
same  local  circumstances,  some  who  are  eminent 
failures.  So  it  is  in  the  foreign  mission  field. 
There  was  but  one  Paul,  and  one  Peter  in  the 
early  Church.  There  have  been  but  few  Jud- 
sons,  Livingstones,  Carys,  and  Duffs  in  modern 
times;  but  one  Wesley  and  one  Asbury.  These 
were  all  men  who  had  the  genius  of  adaptation, 
and  who  worked  with  great  zeal  and  energy, 
with  much  faith  and  much  believing  prayer. 

All  who  are  called  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, whether  at  home  or  abroad,  liave  not  the 
same  gifts.  The  great  Head  of  the  Church,  "for 
the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ," 
"gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets;  and 
some,  evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teach- 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Missioxaey  at  "Wof.k. 

STUDYING  THE  LANGUAGE. 

The  foreign  missionary  must  learn  to  speak 
the  language  of  the  people  among  Avhom  he  pro- 
poses to  labor.  If  he  is  sent  to  China,  he  must 
learn  the  Chinese  language;  if  sent  to  Japan,  he 
must  learn  the  Japanese;  and  so  of  the  native 
languages  of  all  the  nations  and  tribes  of  men  to 
whom  Christian  missionaries  are  sent.  An  in- 
terpreter may  be  used  in  transacting  secular  busi- 
ness with  the  natives,  and  in  official  intercourse 
with  the  government,  but  the  missionary  must 
understand  and  speak  the  language  of  the  com- 
mon people.  If  he  were  as  wise  as  Solomon,  as 
zealous  as  St.  Paul,  and  as  holy  as  St.  John,  he 
could  not  work  efficiently  as  a  teacher  of  reli- 
gious truth  among  a  people  whose  language  he 
did  not  understand.  ''The  gift  of  tongues" 
has  ' '  ceased. "  The  modern  missionary  is  a 
common  man,  and  must  obey  the  common 
laws   that    govern    other    men.     If    he    would 

(51) 


52  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

reach  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  the  people, 
he  must  approach  them  through  their  mother 
tongue  —  the  language  they  use  in  daily  in- 
tercourse with  one  another.  Of  course  I  do  not 
forget  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this,  as  in  all 
other  matters  connected  with  Christian  Avork, 
but  we  are  not  to  expect  such  assistance  as 
the  apostles  received  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
* '  The  Spirit  helpeth  our  infirmities  "  so  far  as  is 
necessary  to  the  full  exercise  of  our  natural  pow- 
ers and  acquirements,  but  no  farther.  Knowl- 
edge of  languages  comes  through  labor  and 
study  to  the  Christian  missionary  as  it  does  to 
the  secular  student. 

The  foreign  missionary  must  therefore  work, 
and  work  hard,  if  he  would  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  a  strange  heathen  tongue,  especially  if  he 
would  learn  to  speak  it  with  fluency  and  accu- 
racy. As  a  rule,  heathen  languages  have  no 
structural  affinities  with  the  languages  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  arc  so  far  the  more  difli- 
cult  to  acquire.  Besides,  a  majority  of  the  hea- 
then tongues  are  rude  and  uncultivated,  many 
of  them  barbarous,  without  even  an  alphabet. 

Children   learn  to  speak  a    foreign  language 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  53 

with  comparative  ease.  In  this  fact  lies  a  sug- 
gestion for  the  adult  student  struggling  with  the 
difficulties  of  a  foreign  tongue.  Children  are 
naturally  imitative.  Their  senses  are  quick  and 
responsive.  Their  ear  catches  readily  an  un- 
familiar sound,  and  the  instinct  of  imitation 
enables  them  to  reproduce  it  with  accuracy. 
Their  attention  is  not  diverted  by  an  effort  to 
associate  the  sounds  of  the  new  language  with 
any  in  their  own,  and  thus  the  memory  retains 
the  simple  impression  made  upon  the  ear. 
Hence  confusion  of  thought  is  avoided — one  of 
the  chief  difficulties  which  the  adult  student  en- 
counters. 

A  spoken  language  cannot  be  successfully  ac- 
quired by  the  use  of  books  alone.  The  student 
must  mix  with  the  people,  and,  like  a  child, 
learn  to  imitate,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  sounds 
he  hears  the  natives  utter.  He  must  catch  the 
tone  and  emphasis  as  well  as  the  pronunciation 
and  idiom  of  the  language.  This  can  be  ac- 
quired only  by  constant  contact  and  familiar  in- 
tercourse w^ith  the  common  people. 

Where  the  people  have  a  written  language,  the 
missionary  will,  of  course,  study  that,  and  also 


54  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  literature  it  may  contain,  especially  the  re- 
ligious literature  of  the  language.  I  shall  speak 
of  this  again.  The  great  diversity  of  cultivated 
and  uncultivated  languages  spoken  by  the  non- 
Christian  nations  of  the  v^orld  renders  it  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  suggest  any  specific  methods 
of  study  applicable  to  all.  The  student  must 
follow  his  own  devices  in  dealing  with  the  pe- 
culiar difficulties  of  each.  He  may  profit  by  the 
experience  and  labors  of  older  missionaries  in 
the  field,  if  there  be  such;  and  at  this  day  ho 
will  find  in  almost  every  mission  field  "helps" 
to  the  study  of  the  native  languages,  prepared 
by  the  pioneer  missionaries.  He  will  also  find 
natives  who  are  capable  of  aiding  him  in  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  local  language.  But,  with  all 
the  "helps"  he  can  secure,  he  will  find  it  more 
or  less  difficult  to  learn  to  speak  any  foreign 
tongue  like  a  native — indeed,  such  a  command 
of  a  heathen  language  is  seldom  ever  acquired. 
The  most  diligent  and  successful  students  are 
handicapped,  to  some  extent,  in  the  use  of  any 
foreign  tongue. 

These  difficulties  are  not  insurmountable,  nor 
is  a  perfect  comniand  of  a  heathen  language  ab- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  55 

solutely  necessary  to  usefulness  as  a  missionary. 
He  may  teach  religious  truth  by  example,  and 
with  a  limited  vocabulary  tell  the  story  of  our 
redemption.  Some  godly  men  and  women  have 
so  "lived  the  gospel"  among  the  heathen  as  to 
bring  them  to  Christ,  aided  by  the  Holy  Spirit's 
influence.  One  of  the  most  useful  missionaries 
I  ever  knew  spoke  the  native  language  very  im- 
perfectly, yet  the  people  seemed  to  get  his 
meaning.  Such  cases  are  not  common,  but  I 
do  not  mean  to  modify  what  I  have  said  as  to 
the  importance  of  a  good  command  of  the  na- 
tive language.  Other  things  being  equal,  the 
man  who  speaks  the  native  language  with  the 
greatest  clearness  and  force  is  best  prepared  to 
be  a  useful  missionary. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  attending  the 
use  of  a  heathen  language  in  teaching  religious 
truth  is,  that  the  language  is  as  heathen  as  the 
people,  and  needs  conversion  as  much  as  they 
before  it  can  become  a  reliable  vehicle  of  Chris- 
tian truth,  and  therefore  an  instrument  for  con- 
veying advanced  religious  thought.  The  peo- 
ple have  not  the  ideas  contained  in  the  gospel, 
and  have  not  therefore  the  words  in  their  Ian- 


56  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

guage  to  express  these  ideas.  The  Christian 
missionary  must  not  only  learn  the  meaning  of 
the  words  as  the  natives  understand  them,  but 
he  must  teach  them  to  attach  a  new  meaning  to 
all  words  and  phrases  used  by  him  in  teaching 
the  truth  he  would  convey  to  their  minds.  He 
will  find  no  words  in  any  heathen  vocabulary 
that  express  precisely  the  Christian  ideas  of  sin, 
of  repentance,  atonement,  regeneration,  or  any 
of  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. All  the  words  of  a  heathen  language  are 
associated  with  the  abominations  of  heathenism, 
and  are  consequently  polluted  and  unclean. 
Like  a  vessel  that  has  long  been  used  for  un- 
clean puri>08es,  they  need  to  be  not  only  emptied 
of  their  foul  contents, but  cleansed  and  made  lit 
for  nobler  uses. 

Candidates  for  foreign  mission  work  should 
be  thoroughly  tested,  as  far  as  circumstances 
will  permit,  concerning  their  aptitude  for  learn- 
ing languages.  If  they  have  passed  through  a 
regular  classical  course  in  college,  they  will  be 
able  to  judge,  and  so  will  the  committee  of  ex- 
amination, to  some  extent,  at  least,  of  their 
probable  success  in  acquiring  any  form  of  human 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  57 

speech.  With  all,  however,  the  supreme  test  is 
in  the  field  at  work.  Men  and  women  have  been 
sent  out  to  foreign  mission  fields  to  discover 
that  they  could  not  learn  to  speak  the  language. 
Such  persons  should  not  remain  in  the  work 
after  they  are  satisfied  of  their  inability  to 
acquire  the  language,  but  should  ask  permis- 
sion to  retire;  for  an  infirmity  of  this  kind  can- 
not be  cured.  To  remain  would  be  a  waste  of 
time  and  money,  and  doom  the  person  to  a  hu- 
miliating failure  through  life. 

As  the  success  of  the  missionary  depends  much 
upon  his  personal  influence  with  the  natives, 
nothing  which  facilitates  his  intercourse  with 
them  can  be  a  matter  of  indifference.  A  ready 
and  correct  use  of  their  native  tongue  is  conse- 
quently one  of  the  first  conditions  of  success. 
A  minister  who  mixes  well  with  the  people  mul- 
tiplies his  influence  and  greatly  enlarges  the 
sphere  of  his  usefulness.  It  is  eminently  so  with 
the  Christian  missionary.  He  is  a  living  prac- 
tical exponent  of  the  gospel  he  preaches,  and 
the  heathen  will  believe  the  message  he  brings 
to  them  in  the  measure  they  believed  in  him  per- 
sonally. 


58  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

Having  acquired  some  knowledge  of  tlie  na- 
tive language,  the  missionary  will  be  able  in  a 
sim]3le  way  to  begin  his  work  among  the  peo- 
ple. As  to  what  he  can  do,  that  will  depend  upon 
the  intellectual  and  social  character  of  the  peo- 
ple. If  his  work  is  among  savages,  he  will  need 
the  most  elementary  methods  in  acquiring  and 
using  their  rude  speech.  If  among  a  semicivil- 
ized  people,  who  have  a  written  language  and 
literature,  he  will  of  course  employ  them;  dis- 
tribute tracts,  Bibles,  and  other  literary  aids 
and  helps  until  he  is  able  to  jjreach  to  the 
people. 

The  preparatory  period  of  a  missionary's  life  in 
the  field  is  very  trying.  He  needs  patience,  meek- 
ness, courage,  and  j^erseverance.  He  needs  to 
exercise  patience,  because  for  months  he  must  be 
practically  deaf  and  dumb  in  the  midst  of  the 
people  for  whose  spiritual  welfare  he  has  left 
country,  kindred,  and  home.  .  He  will  need  to 
exercise  meekness,  that  he  may  bear  ^A'ith  cheer- 
fulness the  trial  of  inferiority.  He  will  hear 
little  children  speaking  the  native  language  v/itii 
fluency,  while  he  is  unable  to  ask  for  a  piece  of 
bread.     He  must  have  the  courage  to  })ersevere 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  59 

steadily  while  feeling  his  way  slowly  through 
great  difficulties  and  discouragements.  He  will 
often  feel  like  giving  up  the  task  as  hopeless, 
but  he  will  learn  that  God  is  with  his  servant  as 
he  toils  and  suffers  amid  the  darkness  and  dis- 
couragements of  heathenism. 


CHAPTER  y. 
Preaching  to  the  Heathen. 

^'Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature."     (Mark  xvi.  15.) 

The  word  "gospel"  means  "glad  tidings," 
and  it  is  the  name  given  to  the  histoiy  of  the 
life,  labors,  sufferings,  death,  resurrection,  and 
ascension  to  heaven  of  our  Lord,  as  recorded  by 
the  four  evangelists,  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  and 
John.  "  Preaching  "  is  the  public  proclamation 
of  this  inspired  history.  To  preach  the  gospel 
is  therefore  publicly  to  teach  its  history,  doc- 
trines, commandments,  and  to  enforce  its  pre- 
cepts and  duties.  In  its  widest  sense  it  includes 
all  legitimate  methods  of  religious  instruction. 
Thus,  Matthew  says  (R.  V.),  "  Go  ye  therefore, 
and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,"  etc.; 
Mark  says,  (R.  V.),  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation;" 
Luke  says,  (xxiv.47.)  "  That  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name 

unto  all  the  nations." 
(60) 


Tpie  Foreign  Missionary.  61 

Preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  includes 
all  the  means  and  agencies  employed  in  their  re- 
ligious instruction,  teaching  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample. Personal  example  is  one  of  the  first  and 
most  influential  means  of  teaching.  * 'Actions 
speak  louder  than  words,"  and  are  more  easily 
understood  by  the  untutored  savage,  or  ordina- 
ry heathen,  than  any  form  of  oral  instruction. 
A  good  life  illustrates  and  enforces  the  Chris- 
tian virtues  as  no  other  form  of  teaching  can. 
The  heathen  are,  as  a  rule,  as  ignorant  of  good 
morals  as  they  are  of  religious  truth,  and  must 
be  taught,  as  children  are  taught,  first  the  ele- 
mentary truths  of  the  gospel,  such  as  the  exist- 
ence and  unity  of  God.  His  attributes  of  wis- 
dom, power,  and  goodness;  his  works  of  crea- 
tion, providence,  and  grace,  and  the  moral  law 
as  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God;  the  creation  of 
man  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God;  Adam's 
fall,  and  the  effects  of  his  sin ;  man's  redemption 
by  Christ,  and  the  conditions  of  final  salvation. 
These  are  the  great  themes  of  the  gospel. 
They  are  elementary  and  essential  in  all  sound 
religious  teaching.  There  is  but  one  system  of 
divine   truth,   but   "one  Lord,    one   faith,    one 


62  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

baptism."  The  foreign  missionary  must  preach 
*'the  old,  old  story."  He  has  no  authority  to 
abridge  or  modify  it  in  any  respect  that  affects 
its  true  significance.  The  last  seal  on  the  word 
of  God  forbids  the  addition  or  subtraction  of 
a  single  word.  (Rev.  xxii.  18,  19.)  "The  sub- 
ject of  preaching  is  one  of  unchangeable  truth, 
historical  fact,  gracious  revelation,  contained  in 
the  i^erson  of  Christ  as  God."  The  methods 
through  which  these  facts  and  truths  are  com- 
municated to  men  are  as  varied  as  the  needs,  the 
circumstances,  the  culture  of  the  nations  among 
whom  the  missionaries  labor,  but  the  subject- 
matter  remains  the  same,  "Christ  crucified," 
"Jesus  and  the  resurrection." 

There  is  a  place  for  every  Christian  in  this 
great  work.  Those  who  cannot  go  to  heathen 
lands  themselves  are  called  upon  to  send  substi- 
tutes for  the  service.  Money  is  not  all  that  is 
needed — consecrated  men  and  women  (our  sons 
and  daughters)  are  the  richest  gifts  we  can  be- 
stow. As  a  matter  of  order  and  adaptation  to 
the  conditions  of  non-Christian  peoples,  some 
missionaries  are  trained  and  ordained  to  preach 
the  gospel  formally,  but  not  all,  for  teaching  is 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  63 

preaching,  and  many  laymen  and  women  are 
doing  a  great  work  as  teachers  of  the  youth  in 
heathen  lands.  Training  and  ordination  are 
necessary  for  those  who  have  the  oversight  and 
government  of  the  Church,  but  any  intelligent 
person  who  has  a  sound  Christian  experience 
may  do  much  good  as  a  teacher  in  mission 
schools  and  in  private  life.  ' '  Ye  are  my  wit- 
nesses," says  Christ  to  his  disciples  just  before 
his  ascension.  All  who  know  him  as  a  personal 
Saviour  can  be  witnesses  for  him,  and  thus,  in  a 
modified  sense,  *' preach  the  gospel  of  the  Son 
of  God." 

The  public  preaching  of  the  missionary  should 
be  as  simple  and  clear  as  possible,  not  a  harangue 
about  the  mystery  of  life  and  death,  but  the 
plain,  simple  story  of  the  life,  ministry,  suffer- 
ings, and  death  of  Jesus  Christ;  of  his  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead,  and  his  ascension  to  heaven, 
where  he  is  now  interceding  for  men. 

The  necessity  for  the  gospel  plan  of  salvation 
may  be  shown  by  a  review  of  the  actual  moral 
condition  of  mankind,  of  the  depravity  and  cor- 
ruption of  the  human  heart  and  life,  ample  evi- 
dence of  which  is  near  at  hand,  and  to  be  seen 


64  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

on  every  side.  The  explanation  of  this  deplor- 
able state  of  things  is  found,  so  far  as  it  can  be 
explained,  in  the  Bible.  We  have  there  an  ac- 
count of  man's  creation  in  the  "image  and  like- 
ness of  God;"  his  innocence  and  happiness  in  the 
garden  of  Eden;  his  temptation  and  fall,  and  con- 
sequent sinful  and  unhappy  state;  also  of  God's 
love  for  him,  and  the  gift  of  his  only-begotten 
Son  Jesus  Christ,  who  became  a  man  that  he 
might  teach  all  men  what  to  believe  and  how  to 
live.  lie  also  suffered  and  died  that  he  might 
purchase  eternal  salvation  for  all  who  will  be- 
lieve on  him  and  obey  his  holy  and  righteous 
commands. 

One  of  the  most  successful  missionaries  I  ever 
knew  gives  the  following  account  of  his  method 
in  teaching  the  Chinese.  lie  says:  "I  find  the 
familiar  conversational  style  carried  on  in  the 
midst  of  the  congregation  far  better  than  the  usual 
manner  of  making  jjroclamation  from  the  j^ulpit 
or  platform.  In  this  way  I  find  out  what  the 
people  know  and  what  they  do  not  know.  The 
same  questions  are  put  again  and  again  until  a 
few  truths  are  fairly  lodged  in  the  minds  of  some 
at  least.     When  satisfied  on  this  point,  I  proceed 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  65 

to  enforce  these  truths  with  all  the  power  I  can 
command.  This  preliminary  part  usually  occu- 
pies most  of  the  time,  for  it  appears  to  me  now, 
after  many  years  of  experience,  how  useless  it 
is  to  harangue  a  miscellaneous  crowd  of  ignorant 
persons  who  are  totally  unable  to  understand 
either  my  theme  or  the  language  I  use.  I  might 
as  well  address  them  in  Greek  or  Choctaw." 

As  to  manner,  every  missionary  has  a  manner 
of  his  own,  if  he  has  any  individuality  and  any 
force  as  a  preacher.  Clearness  of  utterance,  as 
far  as  he  can  command  it,  is  essential  to  any  de- 
gree of  success  either  in  conversation  or  public 
speaking.  By  clearness  of  utterance  in  this 
place  I  mean,  not  mere  verbal  clearness  of 
speech,  but  distinct  and  intelligent  arrangement 
of  thought,  stated  in  plain  words,  and  illus- 
trated by  simple  analogies  drawn  from  nature 
and  human  experience.  The  illustrations,  to  be 
useful,  must  refer  to  familiar  objects,  and  will 
therefore  vary  with  the  local  circumstances  of 
the  people  and  their  grade  of  intelligence.  Our 
Lord's  parables  furnish  a  safe  and  helpful  guide 
in  the  use  of  illustrations.  "  Nature  speaks  a  va- 
rious language  to  him  who  has  an  ear  to  hear." 
5 


66  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

I  would  further  remark,  in  regard  to  the  man- 
ner of  preaching  to  the  heathen,  that  tlie  mis- 
sionary should  manifest  the  loving,  earnest  spir- 
it of  the  Master.  He  should  be  patient,  chari- 
table, and  sympathetic.  In  dealing  with  the  su- 
perstitions of  heathenism  he  should  remember 
that  the  present  generation  have  inherited  these 
crude  and  cruel  systems  of  fali?e  religion  from 
their  ancestors,  and  that  they  know  no  better. 
They  have  been  taught  to  worship  and  fear  their 
gods  as  the  great  powers  that  preside  over  and 
govern  all  forms  and  movements  of  nature.  It 
is  not  wise  to  ridicule  their  acts  of  worship,  or 
to  denounce  the  worshiper  as  stupid  and  sense- 
less because  he  "worshijjs  he  knows  not  what." 
No  one  has  taught  him  better.  We  have  neg- 
lected him,  left  him  to  perish  in  his  blindness 
and  unbelief,  and  should  not  now  insult  him  by 
sneering  at  his  ignorance. 

The  missionary  should  appeal  to  his  own  ex- 
perience as  a  Christian.  He  is  "a  witness  for 
Christ,"  and  as  such  is  competent  to  testify  what 
he  has  personally  experienced.  He  may  thus 
render  more  intelligible  the  doctrines  of  repent- 
ance, regeneration,  faith,  hope,  love,  and  all  the 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  67 

blessed  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  In  order  to  do  tiiis 
he  must  realize  the  power  of  the  gospel  in  his 
own  heart.  Such  testimony  adds  a  personal  ele- 
ment to  his  preaching,  and  draws  the  hearer  to 
him  in  sympathy.  This  is  a  delicate  subject, 
and  must  be  handled  with  care,  lest  the  hearer 
misunderstand  the  preacher,  and  supposes  that, 
in  order  to  be  a  Christian,  he  must  think  and  feel 
in  all  respects  like  the  speaker;  whereas  he  should 
be  taught  that  the  Bible  is  the  only  infallible 
standard  of  Christian  character,  and  that  the 
missionary's  experience,  in  order  to  be  genuine, 
must  conform  to  this  standard,  and  it  is  in  this 
conformity  that  he  realizes  the  truth  of  the  gos- 
pel. This  enables  him  to  bear  witness  to  the 
truth  of  Christ's  teaching. 

The  missionary  should  preach  a  ,fuil  salvation 
— that  is,  a  salvation  provided  for  all  men,  and 
that  all  men  may  be  saved;  that  Christ  will  in 
no  wise  cast  out,  or  reject  any  who  come  unto 
him.  This  great  fact  can  gave  the  worst  of  sin- 
ners from  despair.  The  heathen  need  such  as- 
surance, for  they  are  great  sinners,  and,  being 
ignorant  of  any  scheme  of  pardon,  when  deeply 
convicted  of  sin  they  naturally  fall  into  despair. 


68  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

A  missionary  in  China  says:  "A  man  came  to 
me  in  great  distress  of  mind  on  account  of  his 
sins.  He  declared  that  he  had  been  guilty  of 
every  sin  which  a  man  can  commit,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  name  a  long  list,  and  then  said:  *  Can 
Jesus  Christ  save  me?  '  I  answered:  '  Yes,  Christ 
can  save  you.  He  is  ready  and  willing  to  save  you 
now,  if  you  will  trust  him.'  He  went  away  re- 
joicing, and  has  been  a  faithful  and  useful  Chris- 
tian up  to  this  day.  Several  persons  have  been 
brought  into  the  Church  through  his  instrumen- 
tality." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Organizing  a  Native  Church. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  I  have  spoken  of  the 
qualifications  and  work  of  a  foreign  mission- 
ary as  an  evangelist,  pioneering  his  way 
in  a  new  field,  I  shall  now  discuss  the  best  meth- 
ods of  conserving  the  fruits  of  his  labors.  So 
soon  as  "tAVO  or  three"  converts  are  <' gathered 
together  "  in  the  name  of  Christ,  there  is  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  church,  and  they  should  be  baptized 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  thus  brought  into  the  vis- 
ible fellowship  of  the  whole  body  of  believers. 

The  <*  converts"  may  be  "seekers  of  salva- 
tion," and  not  mature  Christians,  or  even  con- 
verted persons,  but  "catechumens,"  under  in- 
struction preparatory  to  admission  into  full 
Church  fellowship.  They  should  be  most  care- 
fully instructed  in  the  first  principles  of  the 
Christian  religion.  The  mere  repetition  of  an 
orthodox  creed  is  not  enough;  there  must  be  a 
change  of  heart  and  life.     This  great  change  is 

(69) 


70  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  is  essential  to  sal- 
vation. Our  Lord  says  most  emphatically:  "Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  God."  (John  iii.  3.)  The  subject  is  too  pro- 
found and  subtle  for  analysis.  ' '  The  wind  blow- 
eth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound 
thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  v/hence  it  cometh, 
and  whither  it  goeth:  so  is  every  one  that  is  born 
of  the  Spirit."  (John  iii.  8.)  By  this  new  birth 
we  are  made  children  of  God,  "and  if  children, 
then  heirs  .  .  .  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ."  "  The 
Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God."     (Rom.  viii.  16,  17.) 

The  missionary  cannot  be  too  careful  in  lay- 
ing the  foundations  of  the  Church  among  the 
newly  converted  heathen.  They  are  necessari- 
ly but  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  great 
scheme  of  redemption  as  revealed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  need  to  be  taught  "  the  first  princi- 
ples of  the  oracles  of  God,"  as  children  are 
taught  the  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

As  the  number  of  believers  increases  they 
should  be  thus  carefully  trained  and  brought 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Church,  after  a  pub- 
lic profession  of  their  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  71 

a  solemn  promise  to  obey  all  the  commandments 
of  God's  word.  As  to  the  form  of  Church  gov- 
ernment according  to  which  the  native  converts 
are  to  be  organized,  that  should  be  in  harmony 
with  the  views  of  the  Church  or  society  under 
whose  immediate  control  and  support  the  foreign' 
missionary  labors. 

The  following  brief  history  of  the  rise  and  de- 
velopment of  the  Christian  Church  is  taken  from 
Dr.  W.  Smith's  "Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  and 
sets  forth  Avith  sufficient  clearness  and  fullness, 
for  our  present  purpose,  the  origin  and  growth 
of  the  Church  as  described  in  the  Gospels  and 
Epistles,  and  furnishes  therefore  a  scriptural 
guide  to  the  foreign  missionary  in  his  work  of 
organizing  and  training  the  native  Church 
among  the  heathen: 

' '  The  word  '  church '  occurs  only  twice  in  the 
Gospels,  each  time  in  Matthew  (Matt.  xvi.  18, 

*  On  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church;'  xviii.  17, 

*  Tell  it  unto  the  church.')  In  every  other  case  it 
is  spoken  of  as  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  as 
the  kingdom  of  God  by  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke. 
St.  John  never  uses  the  expression,  *  kingdom  of 
heaven,'  and  only  once  the  '  kingdom  of  God.'   In 


72  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  one  Gospel  of  Matthew  the  Church  is  sj^oken 
of  no  less  than  thirty-six  times  as  '  the  kingdom.' 
From  the  Gospels  we  learn  little  in  the  way  of 
detail  as  to  the  kingdom  which  was  to  be  estab- 
lished. It  was  in  the  great  forty  days  between 
the  resurrection  and  the  ascension  that  our  Lord 
explained  specifically  to  his  apostles  *  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God'  (Acts  i.  3) 
— that  is,  his  future  Church. 

^'The  removal  of  Christ  from  the  earth  left 
his  followers  a  shattered  company,  with  no  bond 
of  external  or  internal  cohesion,  except  the  mem- 
ory of  the  Master  whom  they  had  lost,  and  the 
recollection  of  his  injunctions  to  unity  and  love, 
together  with  occasional  glimpses  of  his  pres- 
ence which  were  vouchsafed  them.  They  con- 
tinued together,  meeting  for  prayer  and  suppli- 
cation, and  waiting  for  Christ's  promise  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  They  numbered  in  all  some  one 
hundred  and  forty  persons — namely,  the  eleven, 
the  faithful  women,  the  Lord's  mother,  his 
brethren,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  disciples. 
They  had  faith  to  believe  that  there  was  a  work 
before  them  which  they  were  about  to  be  called 
to  perform;  and  that  they  might  be  ready  to  do 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  73 

it  they  filled  up  the  number  of  the  twelve  by  the 
appointment  of  Matthias  'to  be  a  true  witness,' 
Y/ith  the  eleven,  '  of  the  resurrection.'  The  clay 
of  Pentecost  is  the  birthday  of  the  Christian 
Church." 

At  this  point  the  history  of  the  Church 
as  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  be- 
gins, and  from  that  day  to  the  present  time 
the  Church  has  been  in  the  world,  growling  and 
spreading  among  the  nations.  (Acts  ii.)  It  is 
now  the  greatest  moral  power  in  the  world,  and 
is  destined  to  subdue  all  nations  to  "the  obe- 
dience of  Christ." 

As  to  forms  of  Church  government  and  sys- 
tems of  polemical  theology,  we  have  noth- 
ing to  say,  except  to  repeat  what  we  have  al- 
ready said  in  regard  to  forms  of  Church  gov- 
ernment— namely,  that  the  native  Church  sliould 
be  organized  in  harmony  Avith  the  sentiments 
and  polity  of  the  Church  or  society  under 
whose  immediate  control  and  support  the  mis- 
sionary labors.  It  need  not  be  in  all  cases  an 
exact  copy  of  the  home  Church.  Local  circum- 
stances may  require  some  modification  of  the 
Church  })olity  to  adapt  it  to  the  peculiar  charac- 


74  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

tcr  and  habits  of  the  native  convert.  As  no 
specific  form  of  Church  government  is  laid  down 
in  the  Nev/  Testament,  such  modifications  may 
be  made,  provided  they  do  not  violate  any  prin- 
ciple inculcated  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles,  and  are  authorized  by  the  home 
Churches  or  Boards  having  control  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  the  field.  As  long  as  a  Church  or 
Board  furnishes  the  funds  for  carrying  on  the 
work,  so  long  the  said  Church  or  Board  should 
have  entire  supervision  of  the  work  and  con- 
trol of  the  agents  in  the  field.  When  a  na- 
tive church  becomes  self-supporting,  and  is  suf- 
ficiently educated,  it  may  then  take  full  charge  of 
its  own  affairs;  but  so  long  as  it  depends  upon 
the  home  Church  for  support,  so  long  it  should 
submit  to  be  governed  by  it.  ^ 

As  the  number  of  converts  continues  to  in- 
crease, the  missionary  becomes  apasto^^,  and  the 
functions  of  that  sacred  ofiice  must  be  discharged 
by  him  with  all  diligence  and  godly  care.  He 
should  see  that  the  native  Christians  become  fa- 
miliar Avith  the  teachings  of  God's  Word.  Let 
it  be  the  "sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  they 
may  grow  thereby."     In   order  that  they  may 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  75 

grow  and  develop  into  mature  and  useful  Chris- 
tians, it  is  necessary  that  "the  word  of  God 
dwell  in  them  richly  in  all  wisdom;"  that  they 
hear  it  preached,  expounded  in  Bible  classes,  ex- 
jjlained  in  pastoral  visitations,  and  be  taught  to 
use  it  as  their  daily  guide  and  companion. 
There  is  no  substitute  for  the  Word  of  God  in 
the  religious  education  of  the  young,  and  espe- 
cially for  the  religious  training  of  the  converts 
from  heathenism  to  Christianity. 

The  whole  of  Christianity  is  comprehended 
under  two  heads — viz.,  Doctrine  and  DiscipluiQ 
— or  (1)  what  we  are  to  believe;  and  (2)  what 
we  are  to  do.  The  first  is  called  doctrine;  the 
second  is  called  practice.  The  Word  of  God  is 
the  rule  and  standard  of  both  doctrine  and  dis- 
cij^line;  "  so  that  whatsoever  is  not  read  therein, 
nor  may  be  proved  thereby,  is  not  to  be  required 
of  any  man,  that  it  should  be  believed  as  an  ar- 
ticle of  the  faith,  or  be  thought  requisite  or  nec- 
essary to  salvation." 

The  principal  articles  of  faith,  as  revealed  to  us 
in  holy  Scripture,  regard  the  nature  of  the  Di- 
vine existence,  and  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ. 
For  the  original  faith  of  the  Christian  Church 


76  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  scriptures  of  the  Kew  Testament  are  certain- 
ly the  only  competent  authority;  and  every  suc- 
ceeding testimony  acquires  weight  and  impor- 
tance only  in  proportion  as  it  harmonizes  with 
them. 

*'The  Christians  of  the  primitive  Church  be- 
lieved Vv^ith  their  ancestors,  the  Jews,  in  the 
eternal  unity  of  the  Supreme  Godhead,  from 
whom,  and  dependent  on  whom,  are  all  things 
that  exist.  They  considered  Christ  Jesus  as  the 
image  of  the  invisible  God,  as  the  firstborn  of 
every  creature,  by  whom  are  all  things;  by 
whose  ministry  the  world  with  all  it  contains 
was  created,  and  by  whom  the  redemption  and 
salvation  of  mankind  were  effected."  (Dr. 
Gregory.) 

*'The  Holy  Ghost,  proceeding  from  the  Fa- 
ther and  the  Son,"  was  believed  to  be  *'of  one 
substance,  majesty,  and  glory,  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  very  and  eternal  God."  This  unity 
and  coequality  of  the  three  persons  in  the  God- 
head was  afterwards  expressed  by  the  word 
"Trinity." 

The  history  of  the  divine  mission  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  recorded  in  the  Gospels — his  incarna- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  77 

tion,  death,  and  resurrection— was  of  necessity 
regarded  as  an  essential  article  of  the  faith  of 
the  primitive  Church.     The  history  of  Christ's 
earthly  life,  his  ministry,  miracles,  and  all  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  seen  proper  to  record  for  our 
instruction  and  edification,  were  topics  of  apos- 
tolic preaching,  as  they  are  of  all  sound  gospel 
preaching   to-day:    ^'Repentance    toward   God 
and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"   "Jesus 
and  the  resurrection,"  were  the  staple  themes  of 
the  early  Christian  teachers.     All  these  great 
doctrines  of  the  Christian  faith  should  be  fully 
expounded  by  the  missionary.     They  are  essen- 
tial to  a  correct  apprehension  of  Christ  and  his 
work,  and  form  the  basis  of  the  common  faith  of 
Christendom— the  great  essentials  upon  which 
all  evangelical  Christians  agree.     To  these  pri- 
mary doctrines  were  added  the  belief  in  a  gen- 
eral resurrection  of  the  whole  human  race,  and 
the  distribution  of  eternal  rewards  and  punish- 
ments, according  to  the  respective  deserts  of  each 
individual.     "Upon  these   teachings   of  God's 
Word  rests  the  whole  moral  obligation  of  the 
Christian  system. "     The  peculiar  views  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine  and  discipline  which  characterize 


78  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

the  various  denominations  of  Christendom  will 
be,  of  course,  inculcated  hj  the  missionary  ac- 
cording as  they  are  held  by  the  denomination 
which  he  represents. 

As  to  the  administration  of  discipline  in  the 
Church  we  have  no  specific  instructions,  or  but 
incidental  examples,  from  which  we  infer  that  the 
morals  of  the  gospel  furnish  the  only  authority 
and  guide  we  have  in  such  matters.  Some  dis- 
cipline is  absolutely  necessary,  *'that  all  things 
may  done  decently  and  in  order,"  but  the  "rules 
and  regulations  "  governing  Church  membership 
must  be  fixed  by  each  denomination  or  Church 
for  itself.  These  rules  and  regulations  may  be 
arranged  under  three  general  heads,  and  should 
be  conformed  to  the  moral  teachings  of  the  X ew 
Testament  in  matter  and  spirit: 

I.  Such  as  Forhid  the  Doing  of  Evil. — "Ab- 
stain from  all  appearance  of  evil."  (1  Thess.  v. 
22.)  "Abhor  that  which  is  evil;  cleave  to  that 
which  is  good."     (Rom.  xii.  9.) 

II.  Those  Wliich  Enjoin  the  Doincj  of  Good. — 
"As  we  have  opportunity,  let  us  do  good  unto  all 
men,  especially  unto  them  who  are  of  the  house- 
hold of  faith."     (Gal.  vi.  10.)     "Be  kindly  af- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  79 

fectioned  one  to  another  with  brotherly  love; 
in  honor  preferring  one  another;  .  .  .  distrib- 
uting to  the  necessity  of  saints;  given  to  hospi- 
tality."    (Rom.  xii.  10-13.) 

III.    Those  Wiich  Enjoin  the  Use  of  the  3Teans 
of  Grace. — (1)  Remember  the  sabbath  day  to  keep 
it  holy,"  etc.     (Ex.  xx.  8-11.)     (2)   "  Search  the 
Scriptures:  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life:  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  (John 
V.  39.)     "All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,"  etc.     (2 
Tim.  iii.  16.)     (3)  Prayer,  public  and  private— 
our  Saviour  prayed  much  in   secret.     He  says: 
"When  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and 
when  thou  has  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father 
which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth 
in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly."     (Matt.  vi. 
6.)     "Be  careful  for  nothing;  but  in  everything 
by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  let 
you  requests  be  made  known  unto  God."     (Phil, 
iv.  G.)     Family    prayer:    "As   for   me  and   my 
house,  w^e  will  serve  the  Lord."    (Josh.  xxiv.  15.) 
(4)  The  Lord's  Supper:   "And   he   took  bread, 
and  gave  thanks,  and  break  it  and  gave  unto 
them,  saying,  "This  is  my  body  which  is  given 


80  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

for  you,  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me,"  etc. 
(Luke  xxii.  19,  20.)  (5)  Attending  upon  the 
ministry  of  the  word:  "Not  forsaking  the  as- 
sembling of  yourselves  together,  as  the  manner 
of  some  is."     (Heb.  x.  25.) 

The  foregoing  passages  of  Holy  Scripture  en- 
join the  observance  of  the  principal  duties  of 
the  Christian  life.  These  duties  should  be  dis- 
charged in  love  and  charity.  Love  for  those 
who  are  our  brethren  in  the  Lord,  and  charity 
for  all  men.  The  example  of  our  Lord,  his  lov- 
ing, meek,  and  patient  spirit,  furnishes  a  guide 
to  all  who  would  be  his  followers.  Love  is  the 
law  of  the  Christian  life. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
A  Native  Ministry. 

The  great  work  of  the  Christian  missionary 
is  to  plant  and  establish  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  all  heathen  lands.  The  first  care  of  our 
Lord  was  to  select  men  whom  he  trained  to  he 
the  future  preachers  of  the  gospel. 

The  apostles  followed  the  example  of  the  Mas- 
ter so  far  as  circum^stances  permitted.  Paul 
selected  such  men  as  Timothy  and  Titus,  and 
trained  them  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
The  growth  and  success  of  the  native  church 
will  depend  chiefly  upon  the  character  of  its 
membership.  The  missionary  under  whose  la- 
bors the  first  converts  are  made  will  naturally 
have  the  selection  of  the  early  native  helpers, 
and  he  should  be  extremely  careful  as  to  the 
men  he  selects.  Their  example  will  determine 
very  materially  the  character  of  the  future 
Church. 

If  we  would  have  a  holy  and  aggressive 
Church  membership,  we  must  have  a  devout  and 
C  (81) 


82  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

earnest  ministry.  And  tlie  same  is  true  of  the 
ministry.  If  we  would  have  a  pure  and  devout 
ministry,  we  must  have  a  spiritual  and  active 
Church  membership.    "  Like  people,  like  priest." 

The  Christian  ministry  is  the  gift  of  Christ 
to  his  Church,  and  through  the  Church  to  the 
world.  "When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led 
captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men." 
(Eph.  iv.  8.)  "And  he  gave  some,  apostles; 
and  some,  prophets;  and  some,  evangelists; 
and  some,  pastors  and  teachers  ;  for  the  perfect- 
ing of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ:  till 
we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect 
man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fullness  of  Christ."     (Eph.  iv.  11-13.) 

"The  gifts"  bestowed  consisted  not  of  the 
offices,  but  of  the  officers,  the  men  upon  whom 
they  were  conferred — that  is,  endowed  leaders 
and  guides,  under  whose  ministry  and  services 
the  Church  is  edified  and  established, 

"The  evangelical  ministry  is  essentially  a 
ministry  of  the  word;  all  other  ministrations 
are    subordinated    to   this;    they   are   so   many 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  83 

modes  of  speaking,  of  declaring  the  word  of 
God.  Christianity  is  a  word,  a  thought  of  God, 
destined  to  become  the  thought  of  man."  (Yi- 
net.)  The  object  of  the  Christian  ministry  is  to 
proclaim  this  word  to  all  mankind — to  ' '  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

Vr^herever  the  gospel  is  faithfully  preached  in 
any  place,  at  home  or  in  heathen  lands,  believ- 
ers are  raised  up,  and  a  native  ministry  called 
and  commissioned  to  carry  on  the  work.  The 
history  of  the  Church  shows  that  this  is  the  di- 
vine order:  first  the  missionary,  then  the  native 
church,  and  then  a  native  Christian  ministry. 

In  modern  times,  and  according  to  modern 
methods  of  missionary  w^ork,  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary selects  the  native  converts  whom  he  re- 
gards as  best  qualified  to  be  lay  helpers,  and 
trains  them  as  prospective  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  In  this  way  a  native  ministry  is  raised 
up  in  the  native  church. 

The  first  question  to  be  answered  in  regard  to 
'a  native  who  desires  to  become  a  preacher  is: 
Has  he  been  truly  regenerated?  is  he  a  sincere 
and  earnest  Christian?  If  this  cannot  be  an- 
swered affirmatively,  no  further  questions  need 


84  The  Foreign  MissionaPwY. 

be  asked.  If  satisfied  as  to  his  Christian  char- 
acter, then  we  may  seek  to  ascertain  whether  he 
is  called  of  God  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
There  are  those  in  almost  every  mission  field 
who  would  join  themselves  to  the  priesthood 
for  a  piece  of  bread.  They  see  that  the  mis- 
sionary is  supported  by  the  Church  at  home,  and 
the  more  ignorant  naturally  infer  that  the  min- 
istry is  merely  an  occupation — a  job  for  which 
the  preacher  receives  a  money  compensation. 
They  want  the  compensation.     That  is  all. 

If  the  missionary  is  satisfied  as  to  the  Chris- 
tian character  of  the  candidate,  he  then  looks  to 
his  fitness  as  a  religious  teacher.  He  inquires 
into  his  motives,  and  applies  the  usual  tests  by 
which  the  question  of  a  special  divine  call  to 
the  ministry  is  determined.^  Of  course  such  an 
investigation  should  be  adapted  to  the  personal 
character,  grade  of  intelligence,  natural  gifts, 
and  the  demands  of  the  special  field  in  which 
the  candidate  proposes  to  work. 

Having  passed  a  satisfactory  examination  as 
to  his  general  aptitude  for  the  work  of  an  evan- 
gelist,  the    candidate   is    placed   under    special 

1  See  Chapter  III. 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  85 

training.  His  training  must  be  conducted  in 
such  manner  as  to  fit  him  to  labor  among  his 
own  people,  and  if  he  has  special  gifts  which 
may  be  utilized  in  his  field  of  labor,  these  should 
not  be  overlooked  or  neglected,  but  cultivated. 
Some  persons  excel  in  one  department  of  Chris- 
tian work  and  some  in  other  de^^artments. 

As  to  the  general  training,  we  can  only  sug- 
gest an  outline.  The  heathen  present  a  great 
variety  of  character  and  condition  intellectually, 
morally,  socially,  from  the  coarse  savage  and 
rude  barbarian  to  the  cultivated  and  polished 
Chinese  and  Hindoo.  The  native  preacher,  like 
the  foreign  missionary,  should  be  able  to  adapt 
himself  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  and  char- 
acter of  the  people  among  whom  his  lot  is  cast. 
A  great  diversity  in  the  training  of  men  suited 
to  the  different  fields  of  missionary  labor  is 
therefore  not  only  expedient  but  necessary. 

1.  The  Churches  of  Christendom  cannot  send 
out  men  enough  to  occupy  all  the  destitute 
places  in  the  vast  heathen  world,  and  even  if 
they  could  do  so,  and  plant  a  missionary  in  every 
hamlet  and  village,  the  object  of  the  Churches 
— to  evangelize  the  heathen — would  not,  could 


86  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

not,  be  accomplislied  by  such  agency.  A  native 
ministry  must  do  the  work.  The  foreigner  can- 
not enter  into  the  sympathies  of  the  people  as  a 
native.  The  fact  that  he  is  a  foreigner  remains  to 
his  prejudice,  and  effectually  excludes  him  from 
the  inner  sanctuary  of  social  and  domestic  life. 
A  few  converts  may  be  made  by  the  foreign 
teacher,  but  no  general  movement  of  the  masses 
can  take  place  until  these  native  converts  appro- 
priate the  gospel  to  themselves  arid  feel  its  di- 
vine i^ower  in  their  own  lives.  Then  they  will 
become  active  in  working  for  the  salvation  of 
their  countrymen.  As  long  as  they  regard 
Christianity  as  the  foreigners'  religion  and  not 
their  own,  so  long  the  gospel  v/ill  have  but  little 
influence  with  the  people  generally,  but  when 
natives  who  have  felt  its  power  recommend 
it  to  their  countrymen,  and  when  their  changed 
lives  bear  witness  to  its  saving  efficacy,  then 
Christianity  takes  root  in  the  native  soil  and  be- 
comes a  living  force.  It  is  thus  the  Church  is 
planted  among  the  heathen. 

2.  If  a  native  ministry  is  a  necessity,  we  may 
ask:  How  is  such  a  ministry  to  be  obtained? 
That  it  is  an  essential  factor  in  effective  mission- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  87 

aiy  operations  is  generally,  if  not  universally,  ad- 
mitted by  experienced  workers  in  foreign  fields. 
Some  difLerence  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  char- 
acter and  amount  of  training  which  the  native 
ministry  ought  to  receive.  Ought  they  to  pass 
through  a  systematic  course  of  training?  or, 
ought  they  to  be  simply  such  of  the  converts  as 
show  themselves  best  qualified  for  the  work, 
with  the  elementary  training  they  have  received? 
Some  converts  who  have  received  no  special 
training  for  evangelistic  work  have  nevertheless 
rendered  valuable  service  in  their  sphere  as  ear- 
nest, active  Christians.  Some  native  evangelists, 
especially  in  the  early  days  of  modern  mission- 
ary effort,  have  been  eloquent  and  successful 
preachers,  who  had  no  special  educational  ad- 
vantages or  professional  training.  But  this  does 
not  prove  that  they  would  not  have  been  more 
useful  if  well  educated,  and  there,  as  here,  some 
special  training  should  be  given  the  evangelist 
whenever  practicable.  The  true  policy  is  to 
use  all  available  agencies  in .  missionary  work. 
All  the  converts  should  be  encouraged  to  do 
Tv^hat  they  can  to  bring  in  their  heathen  rela- 
tives and  friends. 


88  Tht3  Foreign  Missionary. 

In  rude  and  barbarous  fields  the  missionary 
will  adapt  his  methods  to  the  intellectual  and 
moral  condition  of  the  people.  Among  the 
more  civilized  tribes  and  nations  he  will  follow 
the  same  rule — adapt  his  methods  to  the  charac- 
ter and  condition  of  the  people  for  whom  and 
with  whom  he  labors.  So  in  regard  to  the  na- 
tive ministry.  The  preparation  of  the  agents 
who  are  employed  as  preachers  of  the  gospel 
should  fit  them  for  their  special  work.  The 
adaptation  of  means  to  the  ends  to  be  accom- 
plished is  a  general  rule  to  be  observed  through- 
out the  whole  scheme  of  missionary  oj^erations. 
Leaving  the  application  of  this  general  rule  to 
the  discretion  and  judgment  of  those  who  have 
the  training  of  native  candidates  for  the  minis- 
try, we  pass  on  to  notice  other  questions  connect- 
ed with  this  subject. 

1.  In  any  system  of  training  for  the  ministry, 
the  Bible  should  be  first  and  last,  not  only  as  a 
text-book,  but  as  the  supreme  authority  in  all 
matters  of  faith  ,and  practice.  The  student 
should  be  taught  to  reverence  it  as  divine — the 
infallible  word  of  the  living  God — inspired  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.      ''Holy  men  of  God  spake  as 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  89 

they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  (2  Pet. 
i.  21.)  "All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God."  (2  Tim.  iii.  16.)  In  this  blessed  book 
God  speaks  to  us,  and  we  should  listen  to  its 
teachings  as  if  we  heard  his  voice  from  heaven. 
It  is  not  superstition  which  teaches  us  to  rever- 
ence the  Bible  as  divine,  but  the  dictate  of  sound 
reason.  The  student  should  study  it  systemat- 
ically, and  read  it  devotionally.  It  should  be 
his  daily  companion. 

2.  The  students  under  training  for  the  minis- 
try should  be  instructed  in  the  laws  of  interpre- 
tation, and  also  of  translation;  so  that  they  may 
be  able  to  "search  the  Scriptures"  systematical- 
ly and  intelligently.  They  should  be  taught  the 
use  of  commentaries  and  practical  exjjository 
works,  such  especially  as  show  the  unity  and 
harmony  of  the  different  parts  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. Jesus  Christ  is  the  center  of  the  whole 
Christian  system.  In  him  all  prophecy  and 
promise  meet,  and  he  is  the  alpha  and  omega  of 
divine  revelation. 

3.  Instruction  in  Church  history  should  form 
a  part  of  any  curriculum  intended  as  a  course  of 
theoloarical  or  ecclesiastical  training  for  the  min- 


90  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

istiy.  The  history  of  the  Church  is  not  only 
interesting  and  instructive  as  a  part  of  the  his- 
tory of  mankind,  but  it  is  specially  important 
as  showing  how  God,  in  his  divine  providence, 
has  taken  care  of  his  Church,  and  how  it  has 
grown  and  developed  under  the  most  adverse 
circumstances.  The  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  the  confederate  forces  of  all  evil,  have 
persecuted  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages,  but  in 
vain.  Like  the  burning  bush  in  Horeb,  they 
have  been  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  yet  not  con- 
sumed. 

4.  Instruction  in  the  composition  and  delivery 
of  sermons  should  not  be  overlooked.  Texts 
may  be  given  out,  and  the  students  required  to 
prejiare  sermons  upon  them.  The  student  ought 
also  to  be  instructed  in  the  preparation  of 
tracts — a  most  efficient  agency  in  the  propaga- 
tion of  religious  truth.  All  this,  of  course, 
will  he  more  or  less  modified  by  the  intelligence 
and  culture  of  the  people,  or  the  want  of  it. 
The  preacher  sliould  be,  however,  better  edu- 
cated than  the  people.  He  should  be  able  to 
read  and  write,  though  they  may  be  able  to  do 
neither.     As  a  teacher  and  leader,  he  ouo;ht  to 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  91 

be  much  in  advance  of  liis  people.     If  he  is  not, 
his  usefulness  will  be  extremely  limited. 

5.  Hymnology  and  vocal  music  ought  to  bo 
carefully  taught  in  all  attempts  to  educate  men 
for  the  ministry.  "The  songs  of  Zion"  are 
not  only  an  important  part  of  religious  wor- 
ship, but  they  are  a  most  efficient  vehicle  for  the 
transmission  of  religious  knowledge.  The  com- 
mon people  get  their  theology  from  the  hymns 
they  sing  as  much  as  from  the  sermons  they 
hear. 

6.  Our  Lord  taught  his  disciples  how  to  pray, 
and  gave  them  that  beautiful  and  comprehen- 
sive model  of  all  prayers,  which  we  know  as 
the  "Lord's  Prayer."  He  warned  his  disciples 
against  the  false  ideas  the  heathen  have  of 
prayer.  They  use  "vain  repetitions,"  thinking 
they  "shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking." 
He  also  warned  his  disciples  against  the  manner 
of  the  hypocrites,  Avho  "love  to  pray  standing 
in  the  synagogues,  and  in  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men."  The 
native  converts  should  be  taught  to  repeat  the 
Lord's  Prayer  as  often  as  they  pray,  and  to  fol- 
low our  Lord's  advice  concerning  the  manner,  of 


92  The  Foreign  Mis^jionary, 

prayer,  recorded  by  Matthew  and  Luke.  (Matt, 
vi.  9;  Luke  xi.  2.) 

The  missionary  having  charge  of  candidates 
for  the  ministry  will  instruct  them  as  to  the  na- 
ture and  importance  of  prayer,  of  private  or 
personal  prayer,  of  social  and  family  prayer, 
and  of  public  prayer.  The  successful  minister 
of  the  gospel,  whether  in  Christian  or  heathen 
lands,  is  a  man  of  prayer,  much  earnest,  believ- 
ing prayer.  Our  Saviour  was  often  in  prayer 
during  the  days  of  his  earthly  ministry,  some- 
times spending  whole  nights  in  prayer.  The 
minister  who  "prevails  with  God"  prevails  also 
with  men. 

The  functions  of  the  pastorate  naturally  grow 
out  of  the  labors  of  the  evangelists,  foreign  and 
native.  The  existence  of  a  native  pastorate  im- 
plies a  native  membership,  organized  churches, 
and  an  advanced  state  of  missionary  work.  To 
discuss  this  would  carry  me  beyond  the  pre- 
scribed limits  of  this  little  book.  I  shall  there- 
fore omit  the  subject,  and  leave  the  matter  to  be 
supervised  and  arranged  according  to  the  pe- 
culiar views  on  Church  polity  held  by  each  de- 
nominational representative. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SELF-SuproRT  OF  Native  Ciiurches. 

That  native  churches  should  become  self-sup- 
porting as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  bear  the  nec- 
essary expenses,  and  are  sufficiently  educated  in 
Christian  doctrine  and  ecclesiastical  polity,  to 
regulate  their  own  affairs  successfully,  does  not 
admit  of  question.  It  is  in  this  way  only  that 
a  native  church  can  be  developed  and  become  a 
living  and  self-propagating  agency.  A  churcli 
dependent  for  support  on  foreign  funds,  and 
under  foreign  control,  cannot  command  the  en- 
tire respect  or  confidence  of  the  native  j^opula- 
tion;  it  will  always  be  looked  upon  with  suspi- 
cion, as  mercenary  in  character,  and  alien  in  its 
sympathies.  Especially  will  the  native  minis- 
try who  receive  the  means  of  support  from  for- 
eign boards  be  likely  to  suffer  from  this  popu- 
lar prejudice.  The  people  will  say:  ''  You  eat 
the  foreigner's  bread,  and  of  course  you  preach 
the  foreigner's  doctrine," 

The  gospel  plan  for  tlie  support  of  the  minis- 

(93) 


94  The  Foreign  MiSvSioxary. 

try  is  set  forth  by  St.  Paul  in  his  first  Epistle  to 
the  Corinthian  church  (1  Cor.  ix.  13,  14):  "Do 
ye  not  know  that  they  which  minister  about 
holy  things  live  of  the  things  of  the  temple?  and 
they  which  wait  at  the  altar  are  j^artakers  with 
the  altar?  Even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordained  that 
they  which  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the 
gospel."  This  is  in  harmony  with  the  Saviour's 
command  to  the  twelve  apostles  when  he  sent 
them  out  to  preach:  "  Provide  neither  gold,  nor 
silver,  nor  brass  in  your  purses;  nor  scri]^  for 
your  journey,  neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes, 
nor  yet  staves:  for  the  workman  is  worthy  of 
his  meat."  (Matt.  x.  9,  10.)  The  same  instruc- 
tions were  given  to  the  seventy.  (Luke  x.  7.) 
It  is  evident  that  the  early  converts  to  Christian- 
ity were  expected  to  meet  all  the  necessary  ex- 
penses of  their  religious  services,  to  care  for  the 
poor  among  them,  to  send  means  to  assist  poor 
Christians  in  other  places,  and  to  carry  the  gos- 
pel into  the  "regions  beyond."     (Gregory.) 

The  expenses  of  a  native  evangelist  or  pastor 
among  his  own  people  ought  not  to  be  relative- 
ly very  great.  He  should  live  as  the  common 
peo})le  live,  in  a  plr.in,  simple  way,  so  as  to  avoid 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  95 

the  implication  of  preaching  for  "filthy  lucre." 
Besides,  the  native  ministry  should  be  in  intimate 
social  and  religious  sympathy  with  all  whom 
they  serve  in  the  gospel.  This  cannot  be  if  they 
are  supported  by  a  foreign  agency,  even  if  the 
amount  of  money  they  receive  is  not  above  the 
wages  of  a  common  laborer.  The  heathen  will 
always  associate  them  with  "mercenary  hire- 
lings," and  their  influence  will  be  greatly  embar- 
rassed, if  not  destroyed.  If  the  native  preacher 
lives  as  the  people  among  whom  he  labors  live, 
his  support  will  not  be  a  burden  to  even  a  small 
community  of  native  Christians.  A  little  self- 
denial  on  the  part  of  the  membership  of  a  small 
church  will  serve  to  furnish  a  reasonable  sup- 
port to  the  native  ^^astor  or  preacher.  In  many 
cases  two  or  more  congregations  can  unite  in  the 
support  of  a  common  '  pastor.  The  Methodist 
Church  has  demonstrated  the  practicability  of 
carrying  on  a  great  evangelical  and  pastoral 
ministry  by  means  of  its  unique  system  of  itin- 
erancy, with  a  small  financial  income.  How  far 
this  system  may  be  adapted  to  foreign  mission- 
ary work  depends  upon  the  peculiar  character 
and  circumstances  of  the  people.     Among  sav- 


96  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

ages  and  rude  barbarians  it  would  probably  re- 
quire some  modification.  The  principle  of  self- 
support  is  not  materially  affected,  however,  by 
the  different  methods  of  missionary  labor  pur- 
sued by  the  various  Churches  of  Protestant 
Christendom;  all  must  come  at  last  to  the  same 
condition  of  self-reliance,  and  consequently  of 
self-support,  if  the  world  is  ever  converted  to 
Christ. 

Converts  from  heathenism  should  be  taught  in 
the  beginning  that  Christianity  is  a  benevolent 
religion,  and  that  they  are  expected  to  contrib- 
ute according  to  their  ability  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.  As  the  Son  of  God  gave  himself  for  us, 
so  we  should  give  ourselves  and  all  our  sub- 
stance to  him.  A  mistaken  policy,  practiced  by 
some  kind-hearted  missionaries,  has  had  the  effect 
to  make  paupers  rather  than  earnest  and  useful 
Christians  of  their  converts.  Not  only  was  the 
gospel  given  to  them  free,  but  pecuniary  aid 
also  furnished,  thus  increasing  their  native  greed 
for  money.  * '  The  grace  of  Christian  liberality  " 
was  not  inculcated  in  them,  and  "they  became 
a  community  of  religious  mendicants,"  says  one 
who   had  the  misfortune  to  be  stationed  near 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  97 

where  such  a  church  existed.  The  proper  meth- 
od therefore  is,  or  seems  to  be  to  "employ  only 
suitable  men  to  preach  the  gospel  to  their  hea- 
then countrymen,  and  as  soon  as  a  number  of 
converts  are  received  into  Church  fellowship  to 
require  them  to  contribute  according  to  their  abil- 
ity for  the  support  of  the  gospel  in  their  midst, 
and  for  "carrying  it  into  the  regions  beyond." 
Teach  them  that  "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive;"  and  that  as  they  "have  freely  re- 
ceived, so  they  should  freely  give;"  that  as  the 
blessed  gospel  has  been  given  to  them,  so  they 
should  give  it  to  others  who  have  it  not. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  in  this  connection 
that  idolatry  is  a  costly  institution.  The  building 
of  heathen  temples  in  India,  China,  and  Japan 
far  surpasses  'in  expensiveness  the  building  of 
churches  in  Christian  lands.  There  are  temples  in 
China  that  cost  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars; 
and  the  daily  service,  burning  of  incense,  offerings 
at  popular  shrines,  and  the  support  of  the  priest- 
hood, thousands  of  dollars  more.  Idolatry  is  ev- 
erywhere more  or  less  expensive.  It  is  estimated 
by  a  venerable  missionary  who  has  spent  many 
years  in  China  that  the  Chinese  spend  annually 
7 


98  Tee  Foreign  Missionary. 

not  less  than  $250,000,000  in  ancestral  worship 
alone.  Add  to  this  vast  sum  the  millions  spent 
in  support  of  minor  superstitions,  and  you  will 
have  some  idea  of  the  expensiveness  of  idolatry 
in  China.  The  Japanese  and  Hindoos  are  not 
behind  the  Chinese  relatively  in  the  costliness  of 
their  temples  and  expensiveness  of  their  wor- 
ship. The  mass  of  contributors  and  worshipers 
are  poor  people,  who  support  out  of  their  mea- 
ger incomes  this  enormous  system  of  oppres- 
sion and  spiritual  tyranny.  Giving  for  the  sup- 
port of  religious  institutions  is  not,  therefore,  a 
new  idea  with  the  heathen.  They  are  taught 
everywhere  to  give.  Why  should  they  then 
think  it  strange  or  a  hardship  when  they  become 
Christians  that  they  are  asked  to  contribute  a 
reasonable  amount  for  the  support  of  the  gos- 
pel? Where  they  are  properly  taught  as  to  their 
duty  they  do  not  complain. 

The  self-support  of  Christian  churches  is  not 
an  experiment;  all  Christendom  proves  that  it  is 
not  only  feasible  but  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  life  and  prosperity  of  any  and  all  church 
organizations.  Native  self-suj^porting  churches 
are  to   be   found  in  nearly  all  modern  mission 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  99 

fields,  and  they  are  everywhere  growing  and 
prospering.  In  many  instances  they  are  rapidly 
becoming  missionary  in  spirit,  and  are  sending 
out  agents  into  the  heathen  communities  around 
them,  thus  not  only  supporting  themselves,  but 
bearing  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  to  their 
heathen  countrymen. 

The  great  want  of  our  Churches  at  home  and 
in  our  foreign  mission  fields  is  deep,  earnest,  en- 
thusiastic i>iety,  a  profound  love  for  Christ  and 
for  the  souls  of  men.  Where  this  exists  in  a 
native  church  there  will  be  ex^^ansive  enterprise, 
a  genuine  missionary  enthusiasm  will  character- 
ize the  individual  lives  of  its  ministry  and  member- 
ship, and  that  church  will  grow  and  develop  into 
a  living  and  aggressive  force,  extending  its  opera- 
tions into  the  surrounding  regions.  To  such  a 
community  of  believers  no  duty  involved  in  self- 
support  will  seem  a  burden,  but  a  blessed  priv- 
ilege. All  the  subordinate  institutions  of  the 
Church  will  be  cheerfully  and  amply  supported, 
the  children  will  be  educated  and  trained  in  the 
ways  of  righteousness,  and  what  was  once  a  mor- 
al wilderness  will  become  as  "the  garden  of  the 
Lord,"  will  "rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 


100  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

It  is  not  expected  that  every  native  cliurch  will 
become  self- supporting  as  soon  as  organized; 
indeed,  it  is  not  expected  that  they  should  do 
so  in  any  case  until  sufficiently  prej^ared  for  it. 
This  will  require  time,  patience,  and  persever- 
ance. During  this  period  of  preparation  the 
foreign  missionary  must  remain  in  charge.  It 
will  also  be  necessary  to  furnish  some  pecuniary 
assistance,  for,  as  a  rule,  the  first  converts  are 
from  the  j^oorer  classes  and  not  able  to  contrib- 
ute much.  They  are  likewise  ignorant,  and  not 
able  to  intelligently  manage  the  aifafrs  of  a 
church.  The  presence  and  aid  of  the  missionary 
is  therefore  necessary,  at  least  for  a  time. 

The  building  of  chapels  increases  very  greatly 
the  expenses  of  self-supjjort;  but  the  congrega- 
tions can  meet  in  private  houses,  or  rent  rooms 
in  most  places  at  small  cost,  in  which  they  can 
worship  until  able  to  build  small  churches  or 
chapels.  The  building  of  churches  comes  after 
the  congregation  has  grown  strong  enough  to 
bear  the  expense  without  feeling  that  it  is  a  bur- 
den. 

The  importance  of  the  subject  I  have  been 
discussing  cannot  easily  be    overstated.       Self- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  101 

support  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  the 
ultimate  success  of  any  effort  to  plant  Christian- 
ity in  a  heathen  soil.  Therefore  the  sooner  the 
converts  gathered  into  Church  fellowship  can 
be  induced  to  undertake  self-support  the  better 
for  the  future  of  the  church. 

It  does  not  come  within  the  sphere  of  my 
present  design  to  discuss  details  of  methods  or 
plans  of  work.  This  belongs  to  the  mission- 
aries in  the  field.  The  number  of  self-support- 
ing stations  has  greatly  increased  in  all  the  mis- 
sion stations  of  the  world  within  the  last  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  These  churches  are,  as  a  con- 
sequence, becoming  active  agents  in  spreading 
the  gospel  in  other  places,  and  thus  making  it 
self-propagating. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Mission  Schools. 

St.  Paul  says,  in  speaking  of  the  religious 
training  which  the  Jews  received  under  the  Mo- 
saic dispensation,  ''Before  faith  came,  we  were 
kept  under  the  law,  shut  up  unto  the  faith 
which  should  afterwards  be  revealed.  Where- 
fore the  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us 
unto  Christ."     (Gal.  iii.  23,  24.) 

Gross  ignorance  characterizes  all  forms  and 
grades  of  heathenism,  from  the  negro  fetichism 
of  Africa  to  the  metaphysical  speculations  of 
Buddhism.  All  are  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God  as  revealed  in  his  word,  and  all 
therefore  need  instruction,  not  only  in  secular 
matters,  but  especially  in  "the  things  of  God." 
They  are  to  be  made  Christians,  or  "children 
of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  not  by  any 
process  of  secular  education.  "Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,"  is 
the  language  of  Holy  Scripture.  But  "how 
shall  tliey  believe  on  him  of  whom  they  have 
(102) 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  103 

not  heard?  and  how  shall  they  hear  Avithout  a 
preacher?"^  "So  then  faith  cometh  by  hear- 
ing, and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  (Rom. 
X.  14,  17.)  "Go  ye  therefore,"  says  the  Sav- 
iour, in  the  great  commission,  and  ' '  teach  all 
nations  .  .  .  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  (Matt, 
xviii.  19,  20.) 

The  great  agency  ordained  by  Christ  for  the 
carrying  out  of  his  last  command  is  preaching 
the  gospel.  Next  to  the  oral  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  is  teaching.  Preaching  and  teaching 
are  used  in  the  great  commission  as  synonymous: 
to  preach  is  to  teach,  and  to  teach  is  to  preach. 
Among  the  methods  employed  in  teaching  is 
the  common  school,  where  the  children  and 
young  people  are  educated.  Christendom  is  full 
of  schools,  from  the  kindergarten  to  the  well- 
equipped  university  in  which  the  whole  circle 
of  human  science  is  taught.  In  China,  Japan, 
India,  and  other  semicivilized  lands  the  com- 
mon school  is  almost  the  only  educational  in- 
stitution in  existence.  The  teachers  in  these 
schools  exert  a   great   influence  over  their  pu- 

5  Sec  chapter  on  preaching  to  the  heathen. 


104  The  FoiiEiGN  Missionary. 

pils,  and  consequently  over  the  whole  native 
population.  They  are  the  conservators  of  the 
popular  and  traditional  superstitions  of  the 
country,  and  the  expounders  of  etiquette  and 
morals.  They  are  the  intellectual  rulers  and  so- 
cial guides  of  the  people. 

The  missionaries,  seeing  the  use  made  of  these 
schools,  and  the  great  influence  which  they  ex- 
erted over  the  masses  of  the  common  people, 
wisely  adopted  a  similar  method  of  instruction, 
and  established  day  schools  in  all  their  fields  of 
labor,  where  it  was  at  all  practicable.  They 
have  thus  utilized  one  of  the  most  powerful  na- 
tive agencies  in  the  evangelization  of  the  hea- 
then. The  day  schools  are  among  the  first 
means  employed  by  the  missionaries  to  open  work 
in  a  new  fielch-  Through  them  the  poor  are  ap- 
proached, their  children  gathered  in  and  in- 
structed; and  by  and  by  the  parents,  seeing  the 
benefit  their  children  derive  from  the  school, 
are  conciliated,  and  finally  become  converts. 
The  school  thus  often  forms  the  nucleus  of  a 
station  and  the  beginning  of  a  church.  Such  is 
the  use  made  of  the  "mission  school."  We  do 
not  mean  that  all  is  due  to  the  influence  of  the 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  105 

schools.  Other  means  and  agencies  are  em- 
ployed in  conjunction  with  them,  but  in  the  be- 
ginning of  mission  work  in  a  new  field  the  day 
school  has  been,  and  is,  a  most  efficient  agency. 

An  adult  heathen,  in  order  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian, must  surrender  all  his  religious  opinions, 
superstitions,  and  prejudices,  and  submit  to  be 
accounted  an  alien  and  an  outcast  among  his  own 
people.  He  must  discard  all  the  religious  teach- 
ings of  his  ancestors  as  false  and  wicked,  and  suffer 
all  manner  of  reproach  and  obloquy  for  Christ's 
sake.  In  some  places  one  who  becomes  a  Chris- 
tian is  declared  to  be  dead,  and  funeral  services 
are  performed  for  him  as  if  actually  deceased. 
His  relatives  seize  his  property  and  distribute  it 
among  themselves.  The  common  courtesies  of 
life  are  denied  him,  and  to  kill  him  is  considered 
justifiable  homicide.  It  is  no  wonder,  therefore, 
that  an  adult  heathen  is  slow  to  become  a  pro- 
fessed Christian. 

The  children  and  young  people  have  no  such 
difficulties  to  encounter  in  receiving  Christian 
truth,  and  they  are  therefore  the  hope  of  the 
missionaries  for  the  future  conversion  of  the  hea- 
then world.     And  herein  lies  the  usefulness  of 


106  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

mission  schools.  They  train  the  young  and  plas- 
tic minds  of  the  children  in  the  knowledge  of 
God's  Word,  and  thus  prepare  them  to  under- 
stand and  accept  the  gospel  before  they  are 
brought  fully  under  the  demoralizing  influence 
of  heathenism.  The  seeds  of  religious  truth 
are  in  this  way  sown  in  the  virgin  soil  of  child- 
hood, and  will  never  entirely  perish.  The 
teaching  in  the  schools  should  be  so  arranged  as 
to  begin  with  the  first  principles  of  Christianity, 
and  lead  on  step  by  step  through  a  regular 
course  of  primary  instruction. 

Bible  history,  and  especially  Bible  biography, 
interests  children,  and  furnishes  the  material  for 
moral  and  religious  instruction.  The  revelation 
of  God's  character  as  a  Being  of  infinite  com- 
passion, the  Maker  and  Governor  of  all  things, 
illustrated  as  it  is  in  the  beautiful  and  sublime 
life  and  ministry  of  our  Lord,  presents  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  gloomy  and  malignant  crea- 
tures of  the  imagination  which  the  heathen  Avor- 
ship.  There  is  nothing  beautiful  or  lovely  in 
all  the  pantheon  of  heathenism,  no  god  of  pity, 
no  god  of  love.  There  is  nothing  pleasing  in 
the  forms  of  worship.     All  is  a  horrible  drama 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  107 

of  sin,  suffering,  despair,  and  death.  There  is 
no  joy  in  life,  or  solace  in  affliction  known  to 
the  poor,  deluded  devotees  of  any  false  religion. 
The  advantages  of  day  schools  as  a  part  of 
the  Avorking  machinery  of  our  foreign  missions 
may  be  thus  summarized: 

1.  They  furnish  the  best  means  of  approach 
to  the  children  and  young  j)eople  of  the  heathen 
families.  It  is  the  only  door,  in  many  places, 
that  stands  ajar,  through  which  the  missionary 
may  hope  to  enter  the  homes  of  the  heathen. 
As  long  as  the  homes  remain  pagan  and  inacces- 
sible to  missionary  agents,  so  long  little  can  be 
done  for  the  conversion  of  the  masses. 

2.  Day  schools  furnish  a  field  for  usefulness 
for  the  women  employed  in  our  missions.  So 
soon  as  they  are  able  to  speak  the  native  lan- 
guage with  any  degree  of  ease  and  accuracy  they 
can  do  efficient  missionary  work.  The  schools 
furnish  also  an  audience  for  the  preachers,  both 
foreign  and  native. 

3.  They  also  form  a  center  around  which  may 
be  gathered  the  first  converts  in  a  new  station, 
and  thus  supply  a  nucleus  for  the  organization 
of  a  church  at  an  early  day. 


108  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

4.  In  the  day  school  the  pupils  are  brought 
into  immediate  personal  contact  with  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  thus  have  the  advantage  of  Chris- 
tian example.  It  is  worth  a  great  deal  to  have 
such  an  object  lesson  as  a  cultivated  Christian 
m^an  or  woman  to  illustrate  by  example  the 
teachings  of  the  gospel. 

As  to  the  best  manner  of  conducting  a  day 
school,  I  need  not  speak.  That  must  depend 
upon  the  character  of  the  people,  their  grade  of 
intelligence,  their  local  circumstances,  and  the 
good  judgment  of  the  missionary.  Besides,  it 
does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  little  vol- 
ume to  discuss  the  details  of  missionary  work, 
except  in  its  preliminary  stages. 

Boarding  schools  for  boys  and  girls  have  been 
used  for  training  the  children  of  native  Chris- 
tians, and  with  success.  Also  theological  schools 
have  been  established  in  the  older  missions  for 
the  training  of  young  men  for  the  ministry. 
Schools  and  colleges  of  a  higher  grade  have  been 
erected,  where  the  natural  sciences  are  taught 
in  connection  with  a  limited  classical  course. 
Sunday  schools,  industrial  schools,  training 
schools,  infant  schools,  have  all  been  employed 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  109 

more  or  less  in  our  foreign  missions,  and  with 
different  degrees  of  success. 

Whatever   be    the    character   of    the  school, 
whether  day  school,  boarding  school,  primary 
or  advanced,  one  thing  is  imperative,  that  without 
which  no  school  can  legitimately  be  recognized 
as  a  mission  school;  its  main  object  must  be  to 
teach  the  Bible,  not  merely  as  a  text-book  in  the 
school,  but  as  the  curriculum,  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  all  teaching.     Unless  the  school  oper- 
ate directly  as  an  evangelical  agency,  auxiliary 
to  the  great  end  of  all   religious  teaching,    it 
has  no  legitimate  place  in  mission  work.     If  the 
pupils  in  any  school  are  not  brought  to  Christ, 
It  least  some  of  them,  that  school  is  a  failure 
as  a  missionary  agency.     Mission  schools,  as  a 
rule,  have  done  much  good.    Their  work  abides. 
As  to  the  character  of  the  teachers  employed 
in  mission  schools,  that  must  depend  on  circum- 
stances.    They  should,  if  possible,  be  Christians; 
but  this  cannot   always   be,    especially   in   the 
opening  of  new  stations.     The  missionary's  good 
sense  is  the  only  guide  in  this  and  many  other 
matters  connected  with  the  details  of  mission 
work. 


110  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

The  introduction  of  women's  missionary  so- 
cieties as  an  organized  force  has  added  a  new 
and  most  efficient  element  to  the  evangelical 
agencies  for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  The 
Christian  women  of  the  Church  had,  from  the 
beginning,  been  the  friends  of  foreign  missions, 
and  had  contributed  their  share  of  means  and 
personal  labors  to  the  great  enterprise,  but  with- 
out formal  recognition,  until  within  the  last  few 
years.  Now  they  appear  in  the  field  of  common 
missionary  effort  as  a  most  important  factor. 
Their  success  has  been  marvelous.  Their  skill 
in  the  management  of  their  affairs  has  surprised 
even  themselves,  especially  in  the  businesslike 
manner  in  which  they  have  conducted  their  finan- 
cial interests.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol- 
lars have  been  collected  and  disbursed  by  them, 
and  thousands  of  heathen  women  and  children 
have  been  taught  under  the  influence  of  the  gos- 
pel by  their  instrumentality.  They  are  well  or- 
ganized, and  all  their  agents  are  active  and  effi- 
cient. 

The  women  have  given  special  prominence  in 
their  methods  of  work  to  mission  schools,  and 
in  this  department  they  have  been  very  success- 


The  Foreign  Missionary,  111 

fill.  They  have  given  personal  and  immediate 
supervision  to  their  day  schools,  and  thus  de- 
veloped this  agency  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

All  that  I  have  said  in  regard  to  the  qualifica- 
tions of  missionaries  and  their  methods  of  work 
applies  equally  to  the  Woman's  Board  and  its 


CHAPTER  X. 
A  Native  Christian  Litekatuee. 

The  Bible  is  the  fountain  of  all  Christian  lit- 
erature. From  this  source  the  "waters of  life" 
liaA^e  been  distributed  to  the  thirsty  lands  of 
earth.  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 
have  been  made  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert 
has  been  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall 
blossom  still  more  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even 
with  joy  and  singing.     (Isa.  xxxv.  1,  2.) 

1.  In  any  attempt  to  create  a  Christian  litera- 
ture for  a  people  being  redeemed  from  heathen- 
ism the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  give  them 
the  Word  of  God.  If  they  have  a  written  lan- 
guage of  their  own,  the  work  is  com.paratively 
easy:  simply  to  translate  the  Scriptures  into 
their   native   tongue.     If    the   people   have   no 

itten  lancrua^e,  the  task  is  much  more  diffi- 


wr 


'&  *"&^' 


cult.  The  missionary  must  reduce  the  barba- 
rous jargon  of  the  savage  to  a  written  form,  as 
Elliot  did  the  rude  Indian  dialects  of  theXorth, 
and  then  teach  the  natives  how  to  use  it.  What- 
(112) 


The  Foreign  Mfssionary.  113 

ever  be  the  character  and  condition  of  the  peo- 
ple,   whether    savage    or   semicivilized,    among 
whom  the  missionary  labors,  they  must  sooner 
or  later  have  the  Bible  in  their  mother  tongue. 
The    missionary    should    therefore    understand 
the  principles  of  translation,  and  be  able  to  ren- 
der the  Word  of  God  faithfully  and  fully  into 
the  native  language  of  the  people.     If  he  has  a 
critical  knowledge  of  the  original  languages  in 
which  the  sacred  Scriptures  were  given,  so  much 
the  better;  but  if  limited  to  his  own  lano-ua^-e 
and  tlie  speech  of  the  natives,   he  must  do  the 
best   he  can   to   give   them  the  Word  of  God. 
"The  word  of  the  Lord  is  not  bound,"  but  has 
"free  course"   everywhere  among  the  nations, 
and  may  be  translated  into  any  language  or  dia- 
lect spoken  on  earth.     There  is  no  ignorance  so 
gross  that  it  cannot  be  dissipated,  and  no  moral 
darkness  so  dense  that  it  cannot  be  dispelled  by 
the  light  of  divine  truth. 

2.  Next  to  a  standard  edition  of  the  Bible, 
good  commentaries,  and  other  expository  works 
are  needed  to  aid  the  student  to  understand  the 
teaching  of  God's  Word.  These  may  be  transla- 
tions of  books  adapted  to  tlie  purpose.  Com- 
8 


114  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

mentaries  on  the  historical  parts  of  the  Bible 
are  specially  useful.  They  show  the  unity  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  and  thus  reveal  the 
harmony  of  divine  revelation.  A  careful  ex- 
position of  the  prophetical  books  of  the  Old 
Testament  is  exceedingly  valuable,  as  showing 
the  intimate  connection  between  the  two  dis- 
pensations, and  the  oneness  of  God's  purpose  in 
revelation.  The  New  Testament  is  a  sequel  to  the 
Old  Testament,  and  neither  of  them  is  intelli- 
gible without  the  other. 

3.  Scriptural  biograpliy  furnishes  an  interest- 
ing department  of  Christian  literature,  and  illus- 
trates God's  method  of  dealing  with  individual 
men,  communities,  and  nations.  It  is  a  commen- 
tary on  divine  providence,  and  an  "object  les- 
son "  of  much  value  to  the  converted  lieathen. 
To  them  example  is  more  intelligible  than  pre- 
cept. Besides  the  narrative  style,  which  charac- 
terizes biography,  is  more  attractive  to  the 
young  and  ignorant  than  the  more  formal  didac- 
tic method  of  instruction. 

4.  "The  life  of  our  Lord,"  as  recorded  by 
the  four  evangelists,  occupies  the  first  place  in 
Christian  biography.     Jesus  Christ  stands  alone 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  115 

in  his  unique  grandeur,  simple  and  sublime, 
not  to  be  classed  with  men,  and  yet  he  was  the 
Man  of  All  the  Race,  "  the  Son  of  Man,"  and 
"the  Son  of  God."  "This  Supreme  Man  was 
born  to  no  rank  and  trained  in  no  school,  held 
himself  aloof  from  none,  and  did  not  shrink 
from  the  touch  of  the  sinful,  sought  no  fame, 
and  seemed  content  to  strew  his  words  on  the 
vanishing  winds."  (Storrs.)  The  native  Chris- 
tians in  all  our  Missions  should  be  taught  that 
the  highest  type  of  Christian  character  is  that 
which  approaches  most  nearly  in  spirit  and  tem- 
per, that  of  our  divine  Lord  and  Saviour.  To  be 
like  Jesus  is  to  be  a  Christian. 

5.  Church  history,  or  the  history  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  world,  what  it  has  done  for  tlie 
nations  of  the  earth,  its  trials  and  triumphs.  In 
this  department  may  be  included  books  and 
tracts  on  the  institutions  of  the  Church,  baptism, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  prayer,  worship,  etc. 

6.  "Works  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity 
are  very  important  as  furnishing  the  proofs  upon 
which  the  Christian  rests  his  faith  in  the  Bible 
as  the  Word  of  God.  Such  books  may  or  may 
not  be  controversial,  as  circumstances  require. 


116  The  FopwEign  Missionary.     * 

As  a  rule,  the  best  way  to  destroy  error  is  to  es- 
tablish the  truth. 

7.  Idolatry  is  the  great  sin  of  the  heathen 
world,  and  must  be  destroyed  by  the  light  of  the 
gospel.  The  Christian  religion  is  intended  for 
the  wdiole  world,  and  claims  the  right  to  guide 
the  thoughts  and  the  lives  of  all  men  in  all  na- 
tions and  throuo-h  all  the  asjes.  "A  true  reli- 
gion  must  be  a  universal  religion."  Christiani- 
ty must  therefore,  as  the  only  true  religion,  be 
absolutely  intolerant  and  exclude  all  other  sys- 
tems as  false.  The  missionary  must  therefore 
be  prepared  to  make  good  this  claim  of  his  reli- 
gion. There  is  only  one  God — "  One  Lord,  one 
faith,,  one  baptism."  All  the  false  gods  of 
heathenism  must  be  scourged  out  of  the  temple 
of  the  world,  and  Jesus  Christ  enshrined  "  Lord 
over  all,  blessed  forever." 

8.  A  sound  Christian  literature  is  a  growth, 
and  not  merely  a  manufacture.  Good  books 
may  be  made  in  any  quantity;  but  if  not  needed, 
or  if  unsuited  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times, 
they  are  useless.  Books,  tracts,  periodicals, 
etc.,  will  come  into  existence  as  they  are  needed, 
and  will  be  adapted  to  the  ends  for  wliich  they 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  117 

were  called  forth.  The  literature  of  a  Mission 
"should  contain  books  and  tracts  suited  to  the 
use  of  native  preachers,  and  also  for  the  native 
mernhers  of  the  Church. 

In  conclusion  I  would  suggest  that  the  chil- 
dren should  be  furnished  with  a  good  supply  of 
Sunday  school  literature,  and  that  such  litera- 
ture be  translations  of  our  admirable  Interna- 
tional Lessons,  where  circumstances  will  permit 
their  use.  In  this  way  a  com^munity  of  religious 
sentiment  will  be  established  between  the  church- 
es at  home  and  the  native  churches  in  our  for- 
eign mission  fields. 

I  am  aware  that  what  I  have  said  in  regard  to 
a  native  Christian  literature  implies  some  con- 
siderable advancement  in  mission  work,  espe- 
cially where  there  is  no  native  literature;  but 
the  missionaries  in  the  field  must  plan  for  the 
future.  They  are  enlarging  the  foundations  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  must  adjust  their 
plans  to  the  glorious  promises  of  God's  Word, 
and  not  to  the  limited  area  of  present  success. 
The  Church  is  a  living  organism,  a  growth, 
and  should  have  ample  room  for  expansion. 
Its  "field  is  the  world,"  and  no  scheme  of  mis- 


118  The  Foreigx  Missionary. 

gion  work  that  does  not  contemplate  the  uni- 
versal triumph  of  the  gospel  is  comprehensive 
enough  to  be  evangelical.  "The  World  for 
Christ "  is  the  missionary's  motto ;  it  should  be  the 
watchword  of  every  Christian,  at  home  and 
abroad.  Christ  has  redeemed  the  world  by  his 
sufferings  and  death,  has  purchased  it  with  his 
precious  blood,  and  has  therefore  a  right  to 
claim  it  as  his  own. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Medical  Missions. 

Medical  missions  have  the  highest  authority 
for  their  existence  as  a  part  of  the  evangelical 
agencies  ordained  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  speaking 
of  his  mission  as  the  Messiah,  says:  '*The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor; 
he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  brokenhearted,  to 
preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recover- 
ing of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them 
that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord."     (Luke  iv.  18,  19;  Isa.  Ixi.  1-3.) 

\yc  see,  in  the  history  of  his  blessed  ministry, 
how  the  Saviour  understood  the  terms  of  his 
great  commission:  "And  Jesus  went  about  all 
Galilee,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease 
among  the  people."     (Matt.  iv.  23.) 

When  Jesus  sent  out  the  twelve  disciples  to 

ai9) 


120  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

*'the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,"  he  said 
unto  them,  "As  ye  go,  preach,  saymg,  The  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse 
the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils:  freely 
ye  have  received,  freely  give."  (Matt.  x.  7,  8.) 
So  also,  when  the  seventy  were  sent  out,  the 
same  command  was  repeated:  "Heal  the  sick." 

The  gospel  has  a  mission  to  the  whole  man, 
soul,  body,  and  spirit,  "because  the  whole  man 
has  been  redeemed  by  the  suiferings  and  death 
of  Christ,  and  is  thus  brought  under  the  dispen- 
sation of  grace.  "What!  know  ye  not  that 
your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye 
are  not  your  own?"  The  minister  of  the  gospel 
carries  the  word  of  life  to  the  soul  of  the  lost 
sinner,  by  which  he  is  converted  and  saved;  the 
medical  missionary  carries  the  healing  remedies 
by  which  his  afflicted  body  may  be  cured  and 
the  untold  suiferings  which  disease  inflicts  re- 
moved. They  are  both  ministers  of  God's  grace. 
Their  services  are  imperative  in  foreign  mission- 
ary work. 

The  barbarous  and  semicivilized  nations  are 
as  ignorant  of  the  causes  and  cure  of  disease  as 


The  Foreign  Missioxahy.  121 

they  are  of  the  nature  of  sin  and  "the  way  of 
salvation."  They  attribute  all  forms  of  sick- 
ness and  disease  to  the  agency  of  evil  spir- 
its, or  to  causes  equally  absurd.  The  planets 
are  supposed  to  exert  a  malign  influence  over 
the  souls  and  bodies  of  men,  and  to  cooperate 
with  "the  elements"  in  producing  all  manner 
of  disturbances  in  nature,  such  as  earthquakes, 
pestilence,  etc.  The  gods  are  charged  with 
much  of  the  miseries  that  afflict  mankind,  espe- 
cially bodily  ills  and  misfortunes.  Wizards, 
witches,  and  demons  play  a  prominent  part  in 
the  superstitions  of  the  lower  grades  of  barba- 
rians. The  "medicine  man"  is  a  principal  fig- 
ure among  the  North  American  Indians  and 
among  the  wild  tribes  of  Africa.  Semicivil- 
ized  nations  also  believe  in  the  presence  and 
agency  of  evil  spirits  and  malignant  demons  in 
all  the  affairs  of  human  life.^  In  China,  India, 
Burmah,  and  Japan  the  ]3eople  are  "in  bond- 
age through  fear"  of  the  devil  and  his  angels 
all  their  lives.  According  to  their  ignorance, 
the  heavens  above  and  the  earth  beneath  are 
crowded  with  gods,  ghosts,  goblins,  sprites,  and 

iSee  Chapter  II. 


122  Tin  Foreign  Missionary, 

millions  of  nameless  beings,  who  exert  their  su- 
perhuman powers  in  tormenting,  in  various 
ways,  the  unfortunate  sons  of  men.  Among 
the  evil  spirits  may  be  the  ghosts  of  dead  rela- 
tives, a  father,  a  mother,  a  brother,  who  are  of- 
fended because  of  some  apparent  neglect  or  mis- 
take in  performing  the  funeral  rites. 

Such  are  some  of  the  superstitions  prevalent 
among  the  people  in  regard  to  the  causes  of  dis- 
ease. The  native  doctors  and  the  priests  are  re- 
sponsible for  these  gross  absurdities.  They  are 
ignorant  themselves  of  diseases  and  the  proper 
remedies  for  their  removal,  and,  instead  of  con- 
fessing their  ignorance,  they  resort  to  all  man- 
ner of  trickery  and  imposture  to  deceive  the 
people. 

Some  examples  of  professional  ignorance 
among  the  doctors  in  heathen  countries  may  il- 
lustrate the  need  for  medical  missions.  I  quote 
from  "Medical  Missions,"  by  Dr.  John  Lowe: 

"The  Chinese  have  a  very  extensive  medical 
literature,  but  no  works  on  anatomy  or  physiol- 
ogy. The  kind  of  teaching  imparted  may  be 
gathered  from  the  folloAving  description  of  the 
pulse  in  its  relation  to  disease:   '  There  are  three 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  123 

pulses  in  each  wrist.  A  man's  strongest  pulse 
is  in  his  left  wrist,  a  woman's  in  her  right.  In 
a  man  the  pulse  that  lies  nearest  the  hand  is 
stronger  than  those  that  lie  above;  in  a  woman 
just  the  opposite  is  true.  In  the  left  hand  are 
located  the  pulses  showing  the  diseases  of  the 
heart,  the  liver,  and  the  kidneys;  while  the  right- 
hand  2^iilses  indicate  the  diseases  of  the  lungs, 
the  spleen,  and  other  organs.' 

"In  another  Chinese  book,  considered  a 
great  authority  on  the  nature  of  disease,  we  are 
informed  that  the  elements  which  compose  the 
human  body  are  fire,  earth,  iron,  water,  and 
wood.  So  long  as  the  equilibrium  of  these  is 
maintained  people  enjoy  health,  but  as  soon  as 
one  predominates  sickness  ensues.  All  dis- 
eases, therefore,  are  but  the  disturbance  of  this 
equilibrium,  and  the  art  of  healing  consists  in 
restoring  the  balance." 

The  medical  education  necessary  to  fit  one  for 
entrance  into  the  prof ession  "is  to  procure  a  pair 
of  spectacles  with  large  bone  rims,  some  grasses 
and  herbs,  an  assortment  of  spiders,  and  a  few 
venomous  snakes,  which  are  placed  in  bottles  in 
his  shop  window."     The  larger  the  rims  of  his 


124  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

spectacles,  and  the  cooler  his  impudence  and 
self-assurance,  the  more  likely  he  is  to  become 
famous  as  a  doctor  and  to  enjoy  a  reasonable  in- 
come. Here  is  one  of  his  never- failing  prescrip- 
tion, "cures  all  incurable  diseases,  and  operates 
instantly  under  all  circumstances  : "  Powdered 
snakes,  2  parts;  wasjjs  and  their  nests,  1  part; 
centipeds,  6  parts  ;  scorpions,  4  parts  ;  toads, 
20  parts.  These  ingredients  are  to  be  ground 
thoroughly,  mixed  with  honey,  and  made  into 
pills;  two  to  be  taken  four  times  a  day. 

^ '  In  case  of  debility  and  bodily  weakness  tigers' 
bones  are  reduced  to  powder,  made  into  pills, 
and  administered  frequently  to  the  patient." 
This  remedy  is  explained  in  a  sim^ple  way.  The 
strongest  animal  is  the  tiger,  and,  when  proper- 
ly administered  as  a  medicine,  the  strength  of 
the  animal  is  imparted  to  the  patient.  *'It  is  a 
powerful  tonic,  and  works  wonders."  The 
Chinese  doctors  divide  diseases  and  remedies 
into  two  classes,  hot  and  cold.  If  there  is  too 
much  heat  in  the  body,  they  use  purgatives;  if 
too  much  cold,  they  employ  hot  medicines,  such 
as  pepper,  spice,  etc.  Drug  stores  are  common 
in  China,  Japan,  India,  and  other  semicivilized 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  125 

countries.  They  usually  display  a  variety  of 
simple  medicines,  such  as  gums  and  minerals. 
These  are  put  up  in  small  packages,  each  contain- 
ing one  dose,  with  instructions  how  to  use  them. 
If  the  doctor  or  druggist  happens  not  to  have 
the  particular  drug  wanted,  he  writes  the  name 
of  the  medicine  on  a  piece  of  paper,  rolls  it  into 
a  pill,  and  gives  it  to  the  patient.  The  one  is  as 
efficacious  as  the  other.  Perhaps  the  paper  is  to 
be  preferred  as  less  harmful. 

Astrology  and  pathology  are  strangely  mixed 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  by  the  Chinese  and 
the  Hindoos.  Jupiter  rules  over  the  liver, 
Saturn  over  the  stomach,  Mars  over  the  heart, 
Venus  over  the  lungs,  and  Mercury  over  the 
kidneys. 

If  ^the  causes  and  nature  of  diseases  are  un- 
known, the  properties  of  medicines  and  their 
use  are  still  less,  if  possible,  understood  by  hea- 
then doctors.  They  attribute  wonderful  virtues 
to  inert  substances,  such  as  dragon's  teeth,  fos- 
sil bones  of  tigers,  pearls,  deer's  horns,  ginseng, 
etc.  If  such  ignorance  exists  among  so  enlight- 
ened a  people  as  the  Chinese,  what  must  the 
practice  of  medicine  be  in  savage  and  barbarous 


12G  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

countries!     Better  a  thousand  times  let  nature 
alone  to  work  out  cures  in  her  own  way. 

The  moral  influence  of  the  medical  missions 
upon  the  heathen  communities  where  competent 
physicians  and  surgeons  are  employed  is  very 
great,  es23ecially  in  pioneer  mission  work.  The 
skill  of  an  educated  Christian  doctor  must 
seem  to  the  ignorant  natives  little  less  than  mi- 
raculous. Sickness  brings  sorrow  and  suffer- 
ing, and  is  always  associated  with  the  thought 
of  death.  No  station,  however  exalted,  is  ex- 
em])t;  kings  and  great  ones  suffer  and  die  like 
the  homeless  beggars  on  the  streets.  We  never 
feel  more  helpless  than  in  the  presence  of  death, 
and  naturally  turn  to  God,  as  the  Lord  of  life 
and  death,  for  help.  The  doctor  is  called  in 
first,  in  case  of  sickness,  that  he  may,  if  pos- 
sible, arrest  the  disease.  If  his  remedies  fail, 
then  the  minister  is  sent  for  to  aid  the  dying 
patient  to  fix  his  thoughts  on  God  and  eternity. 
A  minister  of  the  gospel  may  never  have  been  in 
the  house  before.  In  days  of  health  and  pros- 
perity, when  all  was  well,  his  presence  was  not 
desired;  but  now  that  sorrow  has  come  and 
death  draws  near,  even  the  most  thoughtless  be- 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  127 

come  serious.  The  minister  and  the  doctor  are 
seen  side  by  side  in  the  chamber  of  death,  and 
their  sjentle  ministries  cease  not  until  the  last 
quivering  pulse  of  hope  expires.  It  is  thus  that 
the  Christian  minister  and  the  Christian  physi- 
cian join  to  alleviate  and  soothe  the  anguish  and 
sorrow  of  the  stricken  home. 

If  sickness  and  death  always  bring  sorrow  to 
the  Christian  home,  what  must  it  be  in  a  hea- 
then household;  and  if  the  skill  of  the  physician 
avails  to  heal  the  patient,  how  grateful  the 
feelings  with  which  he  is  regarded  by  the  friends! 
If  this  be  so  with  us,  with  what  feelings  must  a 
heathen  look  upon  the  benevolent  stranger  who 
heals  him,  or  some  one  of  his  family,  "without 
money  and  without  price."  There  is  no  shorter 
way  to  a  sinner's  heart  than  through  his  bodily 
sufferings,  through  hunger,  cold,  thirst,  and 
pain.  What  does  it  profit  a  man  who  is  suffer- 
ing for  food  and  raiment,  and  for  daily  bread,  to 
say  unto  him,  "Depart  in  peace,  be  ye  warmed 
and  filled;  notwithstanding  ye  give  him  not 
those  things  which  are  needful  to  the  body." 
(Jas.  ii.  16.)  Will  a  starving  man  listen  pa- 
tiently to  a  sermon  when  he  is  dying  for  bread. 


128  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

be  the  sermon  ever  so  eloquent?  Feed  him  first, 
and  then  preach  to  him.  If  sick,  heal  him,  and 
then  offer  him  the  ''bread  of  life." 

The  object  of  the  medical  missionary,  like 
that  of  all  other  persons  engaged  in  mission 
work,  is  the  salvation  of  souls.  He  is  primarily 
an  evangelist,  and  all  his  ^professional  labors 
ought  to  be  directed  to  this  one  object.  He 
sliould  be  able  to  minister  to  the  soul  as  vv^ell  as 
to  the  body;  to  pray  with  and  counsel  the  per- 
son whose  bodily  affliction  he  is  laboring  to  re- 
move, and  to  point  tlie  sufferer  to  the  Great 
Physician  of  souls,  who  can  heal  all  his  diseases. 
The  medical  missionary  ought,  therefore,  to  be 
a  man  of  much  prayer  and  great  faith,  full  of 
sympathy  and  the  love  of  Christ. 

Hospitals  and  disj^ensaries  constitute  a  part  of 
the  necessary  outfit  in  all  well-equipped  mission 
stations.  They  have  become  a  very  efficient 
agency  in  mission  work.  Their  history  is  their 
best  defense. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
A  Short  Argument  for  Foreign  Missions. 

WHY  SHOULD  WE  ADVOCATE  FOREIGN  MISSIONS? 

1.  Because  our  Lord,  just  before  his  as- 
cension to  his  mediatorial  throne,  said  to  his 
disciples,  and  through  them  to  the  Church  in  all 
ages:  ''Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature."  (Markxvi.  15;  Matt, 
xxviii.  19.)  This  command  is  absolute  and  im- 
perative. There  is  no  higher  authority  in  the 
universe.  To  refuse  or  neglect  to  obey  it  is 
disloyalty  and  rebellion. 

2.  Because  Christ  by  his  sufferings  and  death 
has  redeemed  all  men,  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
Greeks  and  barbarians,  bond  and  free.  Now  if 
he  died  for  all  men,  then  he  died  for  the  hea- 
then, and  they  have  therefore  a  right  to  the 
benefits  of  his  death  and  mediation.  If  this 
be  so,  are  we  not  depriving  them  of  their  blood- 
bought  inheritance  by  withholding  from  them 
the  blessed  gospel?    They  are  our  neighbors,  our 

9  (129) 


130  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

brothers,  and  can  we  without  great  guilt  leave 
them  to  perish  in  their  sins? 

3.  Because  we  have  received  the  gospel  as  a 
trust,  and  the  condition  on  which  we  have  re- 
ceived it,  and  by  which  we  are  to  retain  it,  is 
that  we  give  it  to  others  who  have  it  not.  Have 
we  done  this?  Our  ancestors  were  pagans;  and 
had  no  foreign  missionary  ever  visited  them,  we 
should  be  in  the  darkness  and  desolation  of  pa- 
ganism to-day.  We  have  "freely  received,"  so 
we  should  "freely  give."  We  owe  all  the  bene- 
fits and  blessings  of  our  Christian  civilization  to 
the  transforming  and  elevating  influence  of  the 
gospel.     It  is  the  only  hope  of  the  world. 

4.  Because  the  gospel  is  the  only  means  of 
salvation.  We  are  saved  by  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  "  Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any 
other:  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heav- 
en given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be 
saved."  It  is  the  object  of  foreign  missions  to 
make  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  salvation 
known  to  the  heathen  iiations  of  the  world  by 
which  they  may  be  saved. 

5.  Because  the  gospel  elevates  woman  in  the 
social  and  domestic  relations  of  life,  and  thus 


The  Foreign  Missionary.  131 

cultivates  social  purity  in  tlie  home  and  ex- 
alts and  refines  general  society.  The  wife  and 
mother  are  raised  from  mere  slaves  and  drudges 
to  equal  rights  and  privileges  with  man,  and 
thus  become  his  companions. 

6.  Because  the  gospel  solves  the  problem  of 
life  and  death,  of  right  and  wrong,  opens  the 
gates  of  immortality  to  man's  hope,  and  sheds 
its  radiance  on  the  portals  of  the  tomb;  it  fills 
his  troubled  soul  with  peace  and  joy. 

7.  Because  foreign  missions  have  greatly  en- 
larged the  field  of  general  knowledge  through 
tlie  intelligent  observations,  and  labors  of  mis- 
sionaries, especially  in  the  departments  of  geogra- 
phy, philology,  ethnology,  natural  history,  etc. 
Missionaries  have  been  the  pioneers  in  opening  up 
vast  fields  of  vv^ealth  to  the  enterprise  of  Chris- 
tian nations,  by  which  the  commerce  and  trade 
of  the  world  have  been  greatly  increased.  ^ 

8.  Because  the  Church  at  home  is  dependent 
upon  the  missionary  spirit  for  its  existence  and 
efHciency.  If  the  Church  were  to  lapse  into  its 
former  indifference  to  the  heathen,  the  Dark 
Ages,  with  all  the  gloom  and  spiritual  death, 

1  See  Chapter  I.,  *'  Great  Commission." 


132  The  Foreign  Missionary. 

anarchy  and  wretchedness,  which  characterized 
that  unhapj)y  period  cf  the  world's  history, 
would  return  upon  us  with  tenfold  intensity. 

The  Church  must  subdue  the  world  to  the 
obedience  of  the  gospel,  or  the  world  will  de- 
stroy the  Church,  atheism  will  become  universal, 
and  a  night  of  solid  darkness  and  hopeless  de- 
spair will  settle  down  upon  the  nations.  There 
can  be  no  compromise  in  this  matter. 

Thank  God!  this  gloomy  picture  will  never 
be  realized.  Christ  has  all  jjower  in  heaven  and 
earth,  and  he  is  with  his  people.  He  has  con- 
quered death  and  hell,  and  now  reigns  Lord  of 
all. 

*'As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  every  knee  shall 
boAV  to  me,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess  to 
God."     (Rom.  xiv.  11.) 

Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun 
Does  his  successive  journeys  run  ; 
His  kingdom  stretch  from  shore  to  shore, 
Till  moons  shall  wax  and  wane  no  more. 


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